The portraits of resident orcas whales, Wave Walker (L-88), Alki(J-36) and Notch (J-47) now grace the Whale Museum. The mural, designed by Lisa Carron, went up in less than a week.

“I don’t know how she does it,” the Whale Museums executive director Jenny Atkinson said, looking up at Carron, paint brush in hand, on her scissor lift. “I’ve been watching her and I still don’t know,” said the artist.

Carron graduated from Pepperdine in Malibu California in 2011 and has been painting nonstop ever since. She has had several solo exhibitions across the country including “Art and Water for All” in Milwaukee Wisconsin. She won the Selected Artist Award in the City of Malibu for her “Keep it Clean Malibu” storm drain mural project. It was the storm drain murals that caught the attention of the museum. The museum included painting their storm drains as well, in their proposal, in order to increase awareness about what goes into the islands storm drains ends right back out in the local harbors and bays.

The museum’s mural has been in the works for about a year, according to Atkinson, and it is one of the first murals under the new guidelines.

It takes up the entire south wall of the Museum, and features the three whales chasing Chinook salmon, who are chasing small forage fish, all swimming through a forest of kelp, depicting the food chain, and the interdependence on it. The theme, “We are all in this together,” is a message of hope and a celebration of all that is wild and free, said Atkinson. It is also a greater reflection on how we treat fellow humans and problem solve for the future of our world.

The Whale Museum is one of Friday Harbor’s historical buildings, and as such, the museum has taken its management seriously. Prior to the mural, the entire building was painted to protect its exterior and preserve the building itself. The deck, which had many boards in need of replacement, was repaired, according to Atkinson.

“It [the mural] encourages individuals to be stewards of our lands, oceans and animals,” Atkinson said.

For more information, visit the Whale Museum, www.whalemuseum.org.