#358 • Johnny Johnson "Breach of Worlds", "Sea Wolf" & "River Dance" 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 7:58 PM AKST
Category: Art
Three signed photographs by Alaska wildlife photographer Johnny Johnson (1947–2025). The first work is entitled "Breach of Worlds," c.1994, numbered 133/950. Johnson describes the scene: “A humpback whale performs a full body breach near Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska. When 40 tons of whale bursts from the water your heart stops and for a few quick seconds this behemoth of the deep appears. Then in a great crash of water it is gone.” The second photograph is entitled "Sea Wolf", c.2002, numbered 44/950. Johnson describes 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 photograph is "River Dance," c.2015, numbered 57/950. Johnson describes 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.” All 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 18.5" x 24.5".