The inescapable rush of the procreative urge drives Pacific salmon to the act that both completes and ends their lives. Once and one time only, they will terminally exhaust themselves in the spawn. The vast stores of bodily energy they use to reproduce will extinguish their burning vitality once they are spent. This composition attempts to capture a glimpse of the spectacular, inflamed rush of spawning salmon. Kokanee salmon are the land-locked form of sockeye salmon (Oncorhyncus nerka). The Chinese calligraphic inscription “qi tun shan he,” means “imbued with spirit that can conquer mountains and rivers.”
