#251 • Johnny Johnson "Sea Wolf", "Romancing the Dawn" & Untitled Wolf 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 7:23 PM AKST

Category: Art

Three signed and numbered photographs by Alaska wildlife photographer Johnny Johnson (1947-2025). The first work is untitled and dated 1987. It shows a wild gray wolf peeking through tall green grass, its face turned toward the camera with upright ears and watchful eyes. The surrounding blades partly conceal its muzzle and shoulders, while light picks out the brown and grey fur. The second work, "Sea Wolf", is dated circa 2002 and numbered 23/950. It shows an orca exhaling a misty blow in the water. 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, "Romancing the Dawn", is dated circa 2011 and numbered 52/950. It shows a large bull moose with massive antlers interacting with a cow moose during the autumn rut. Johnson described the scene: “As I pulled up to Denali National Park Headquarters in the pre-dawn chill of mid-September, I saw my friend Gary eagerly awaiting me. "it's a perfect morning," he exclaimed excitedly. Gary was Denali Park's Chief Ranger and an avid amateur photographer. The mating season for moose had just started and the associated interaction often provided excellent opportunities to photograph moose behavior. It wasn't long before we spotted a large bull moose defending a harem of more than a dozen females. Wasting no time, we grabbed our cameras and bushwhacked thru the brush three-quarters of a mile. We set up our tripods just as the morning light turned the bull's enormous antlers into beacons of gold. To our delight, a young female approached the bull and they began to nuzzle. Minutes later, it was over and they were gone. "Did you get that?" Gary asked in a whisper. "Absolutely" I said, "it just doesn't get any better than that!"” All pieces are signed, dated, and numbered in the lower left corner in gold leaf ink and printed on Ilfochrome or Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss. A care guide and artist's biography are included on the reverse. Each one is shrink-wrapped on board, and the wolf print measures approximately 16" x 24".