why i paint what i paint 🐟🐋🐻

Art by Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita 2026

Art by Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita 2026

why i paint what i paint 🐟🐋🐻

every painting tells a story. some are asking us to pay attention before it's too late.

I don't paint salmon, whales, bears and the natural world simply because they're beautiful.

I paint them because they matter.

Salmon are a keystone species. They connect the ocean to our rivers and forests, carrying nutrients that sustain bears, eagles, trees and countless other living things. They are food for the endangered Southern Resident orcas. They are part of the living history, culture and traditions of Indigenous peoples. And they are part of what makes British Columbia so extraordinary.

Everything is connected.

When salmon struggle, the effects ripple outward. When estuaries are damaged, when rivers warm, when habitat disappears, the consequences don't stop at the water's edge.

We all depend on healthy ecosystems, whether we realise it or not.

That's why I paint these creatures.

Behind every brushstroke is my love for the natural world, my worry about what we're losing, and my hope that we still have time to protect what remains.

We hear a great deal about economic growth, resource development and the billions of dollars at stake. But how do we put a price on a living river? A forest filled with wildlife? A salmon run that has returned for generations? An orca searching for food in the Salish Sea?

Some things are too important to measure only in dollars.

My art is my way of speaking up. I may not be able to change government policy or stop every destructive project, but I can make something that asks people to look closer, think deeper and remember what we stand to lose.

And perhaps that's where you come in.

When you bring home a painting, you're not simply buying something to hang on your wall. You're supporting an independent artist who cares deeply about the world we share. You're making room in your home for a reminder of the wild, interconnected life that sustains us.

My paintings carry messages of Water Is Life, protection, resilience and hope. They are made by hand, with care, and with the belief that art can help people see what they might otherwise overlook.

If one of these paintings speaks to you, I hope you'll consider giving it a home.

Every piece sold helps me continue creating, sharing these stories and standing up for the creatures and ecosystems that cannot speak for themselves in a courtroom or a government office.

I paint them because I love them.

I paint them because they matter.

And I paint them because I want future generations to know that we saw what was happening — and that some of us tried to make a difference.

Art is my voice. The natural world is my inspiration. Protecting what we love is everyone's responsibility.

— Tina Winterlik, aka Zipolita
Artist, photographer and storyteller