Takaya’s story of resilience and the ability to survive against all odds until his tragic death was the inspiration for A Lament of Hope. Inspired by Takaya’s powerful and haunting howls, I chose to depict him in a pose that has become part of his legacy—a voice from nature to remind us of the importance of conservation for these incredible animals and the lands that they inhabit. Though typically wolves are portrayed howling by moonlight, I chose to feature a sun in broad strokes of yellow to symbolize rebirth and the hope for a new day—one where future generations will treat the land and the creatures who dwell within it with more dignity and care than those who came before them.
Using a fine tip ink pen and contour hatching, I illustrated Takaya in red, symbolizing blood innocently shed (Red Ochre: mainly composed of iron oxide or hematite / “hema” in Greek means blood). His life and death reveal the imminent need to cull poaching and limit wolf hunting practices in this province.