This painting, serves as a profound and haunting visual record of a species in crisis. One salmon is rendered in sharp focus, a vibrant testament to a species still fighting for survival. Yet, five more are depicted in different layers of the encaustic wax, their forms becoming increasingly transparent as they are embedded in the surface. This powerful technique captures a slow, quiet disappearance, as if their very essence is fading into a memory. This artistic memorial is a poignant reflection of the real-world threats facing the Pacific salmon. This keystone species is a vital indicator of an ecosystem's health, but their populations are in decline due to the "natural consequences" of a changing world. Warming waters and shifting ocean currents disrupt their migration and food sources, while habitat loss from development and dams destroy their spawning grounds. The painting confronts us with a powerful truth: the magnificent journey of the salmon is being erased by these forces. This piece reminds us that the disappearance of a species is not a sudden event, but a slow, haunting transformation that leaves a profound emptiness in its wake.