"As commercial fishermen, my father and I once caught a whale shark in our gill net. Its massive size and weight sunk the whole net! Thankfully, a fisheries patrol boat happened to be nearby. Together we managed to release the giant 45-foot whale shark, but only after cutting the net. The animal was bigger than our boat. This experience left so much of an impression, inspiring me to paint it. - Cecil Dawson, Kwakwaka'wakw Nation

Painted in First Nations traditional form lines, Whale Shark is composed as a three-section painting called a triptych. The artist has used mahogany wood panels for his format and painting surface.