“Takaya and the Sea” is a 71 by 47 inch original acrylic painting on canvas of Takaya, the Discovery Island sea wolf. This abstract wildlife artwork is a larger-than-life portrait of the sea wolf Takaya gracefully capturing our eyes as he momentarily looks into the viewer. The far background shows the shore lines of Oak Bay and Victoria, BC.

Takaya the Discovery Island Wolf looks at us but also just past us as viewers of this wildlife painting. I painted his soulful face to be grounded in realism as he looks into our eyes, while also an emblem of nature. A pink and blue sky show through his transparently layered face and his eyes look past us to what’s next.

On a warm pastel coloured sky with blue paint splashes, a gull flies high in the sky and almost off the canvas, far into the background. This is my suggestion of Takaya’s spirit moving on to new places, adventures and meeting the souls of other wolves. For the sea wolf who became a legend and famous icon as the most famous wolf of Vancouver Island, BC and mayhaps Canada, it was important to suggest that Takaya’s story never really stops, especially as we share it.

“Takaya and the Sea” at full size. The lone wolf Takaya stole hearts around the world as he ranged near and through Victoria, BC before settling for 8 years on Discovery Island and the Chatham Islands. At 6 feet tall the scale of this wildlife painting allowed for deeper impressions and connections with viewers as it was revealed at the 2025 Art Gallery Paint-In.

Thrown splashes of blue and Titan Buff acrylic paint propose a warm sky while a mauve mountain background reveals the distant city of Victoria, BC. I reveal here my secret for this large painting: the BC Parliament Buildings and the Empress Hotel that I’ve painted could not be seen from the Discovery Islands. I added these iconic Victoria landmarks because it was important to represent the city that grew to love Takaya.