Oil on canvas. The Backstory of the Painting: "The Prince of Whales is a portrait of my friend Philip Hoare who is an acclaimed British author, journalist, filmmaker, and curator. He is best known for his deeply poetic non-fiction that explores humanity's relationship with the sea, art, and the natural world. The portrait came about because I was fascinated by Philip's obsession with whales. In the early 2000's he visited the film maker and author John Waters in Provincetown who greatly encouraged him to go out on a whale watch. Philip was immediately transfixed and ended up going out on all three daily whale watches throughout his visit. This deep desire to understand his connection to whales led the scientists on the whale watch to soon invite Philip to speak over the boat's pa system. Because of his relationship with whales, Philip swims every day wherever he is in the world and whatever the weather. He once told me a beautiful story of swimming with whales in the Azores. Never wanting to touch these immense creatures he instead was exhilarated to experience a whale's echolocation so deeply in his chest as it took stock of him from somewhere in the water that wasn't visible. Then suddenly, without warning, the whale was right beside him, its massive bulk gliding past till they were able for a few precious moments to look each other in the eye. Absolute undivided attention. A communion of a lifetime." Website: johayartist.com. Social: johayartist. Dimensions: 48"w x 66"h. Valued at: $30,000.00

New