Artwork copyright James Jordan. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright James Jordan. Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Killer Whale, 1982

James Jordan
American (born 1945, died 2001)

Location: Department of Transportation - Ferry: Issaquah, Seattle

About the Artwork

Non-Native artist James Jordan created Killer Whale for the MV Issaquah, a Washington State Ferry. Many elements of the artwork are based on traditions from the Indigenous Northwest Coast peoples. The painted whale figure is based on Northwest Coast curved and ovoid formline designs. The cedar boards were hand-carved with an adze, in the style of Northwest Coast carvings. Jordan notes that the artwork's subject matter is from Northwest Coast oral history: "the legend of Gunahr whose wife was kidnapped and taken to the undersea kingdom. In this design, Gunahr is portrayed riding to her rescue on the back of a killer whale…note his face in the dorsal fin and his hand holding on to the side of the whale as it dives."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Department of Transportation - Ferries.

About the Artist

Oregon-based, non-Native artist James Jordan (1945-2001) created artworks influenced by the artistic traditions of the Northwest Coastal tribes. He was born in Longview, Southwestern Washington and attended Lower Columbia College (in Longview) before graduating from the American School of Photography. James Jordan was a longtime resident of the small town of Rainier in Northwestern Oregon on the Columbia River.