#224 • Johnny Johnson "River Dance", "Sea Wolf" & "In the Land of Giants" Photographs
Part of The Johnny Johnson Estate Auction (timed auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)
Starting at $5.00
Status: Available
Bidding closes Nov 3, 2026 7:14 PM AKST
Category: Art
Three signed and numbered photographs by Alaska wildlife photographer Johnny Johnson (1947-2025). The first work, "River Dance", is dated circa 2015 and numbered 29/950. Johnson described the scene: "As the sun set, I knew it was time to get off the river, but it was just too beautiful—too exciting. I decided to stay a little longer and was rewarded when an adult grizzly emerged from the crimson current with his prize— a large sockeye (red) salmon. It seems the gulls are always present hoping for scraps. During the three months I spent documenting life on a salmon stream for the National Geographic, I learned a great deal about the importance of salmon to a healthy watershed. Each day was an adventure, a new chapter in my understanding of our vanishing wild world." The second work, "Sea Wolf", is dated circa 2002 and numbered 21/950. Johnson described the scene: "Orcas or killer whales have a social structure much like a pack of wolves. The large male in this photo, taken near the southern tip of Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska, was the leader of a group of about ten whales. My wife and I were able to observe the pack hunting for salmon and actually saw them take a seal and later a sea otter. It was fascinating to watch them hunting within ten feet of land and cooperatively encircle their prey before making a kill. In this image the Orca whale is traveling very close to shore and the spruce tree covered mountains are reflected in the ocean which explains the marvelous patterns of green in the blue water. The spray is created when the whale exhales upon surfacing in preparation to take another deep breath of air before diving." The third work, "In The Land Of Giants", is dated circa 2007 and numbered 15/950. It shows a large grizzly bear standing on its hind legs in a lush, vibrant green meadow. Johnson described the scene: "Few sights are more memorable than a face-to-face encounter with a monster grizzly. Standing over eight feet tall, my 600mm lens only magnified the bear's power and my own sense of vulnerability and awe. Weighing in excess of a thousand pounds, these huge males keep to themselves and are rarely seen. Since I was downwind, the bear couldn't catch my scent and stood, nostrils flaring. I spoke to him in a calm tone. "Hey, big bear. Hey, big bear...... Hey, big bear". I kept talking as he dropped to all fours and slowly ambled away." All three are signed, dated, and numbered in gold leaf ink and printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss paper. The photographs are shrink-wrapped on board. The largest measures approximately 24.5" x 20.5".
