98236.4 : school

Anchored by a smooth, dark stone marked by a single white barnacle, this piece returns us to the deep, saltwater corridors of Possession Sound, just off the shores of Clinton.

Here, five carved wooden salmon rise from the depths. Unlike a chaotic, towering swarm, this sculpture captures the disciplined energy of a focused, intimate pod. Four of the fish travel in a tight, vertical slipstream, their straight brass tethers holding them in close, synchronized formation. They represent the determined center of the group, pushing relentlessly against the heavy tidal exchange where the Puget Sound narrows and the water grows complex.

But it is the fifth fish that truly tells the story of the coastal waters. Pushed outward on a sharply bent wire, this solitary outlier flanks the main group, tracing the edge of an invisible pressure system. Beneath the surface near the Clinton ferry lanes, the currents form a shifting map of deep channels and sudden, swirling eddies. This single fish captures that dynamic environment perfectly—momentarily caught in a crosscurrent, yet still driving inevitably forward alongside its pod.

Suspended in the quiet air, the group becomes a frozen pulse of the great fall migration. They carry the tension of the long saltwater journey, a beautifully carved memory of silver fish navigating the deep, cold waters of Whidbey Island before turning toward their freshwater homes.

granite, fir & brass
6 × 6 × 18h