After I moved to Oregon, I became infatuated with marine life..especially the sea lions. I would take weekend trips to Coos Bay and Simpson Reef where there were literally hundreds of sea lions. This painting was influenced by one particular sea lion that would watch me, go underwater for about a minute, and then pop up about 20 feet away. He was so observant and yet so playful, I just had to paint him. This is an original painting by artist Christian Ives.