THE ORIGINAL COLOURED PENCIL ART OF PARADISE LOST by Rosi Oldenburg is now matted and mounted in a handsome frame, ready to be transferred its rightful owner… Kevin Mayer.
This gift from father-to-son is to preserve a much-cherished memory of five days spey fishing for wild steelhead on the Bulkley River in northern British Columbia. My son was guiding for a notable guiding outfit when I journeyed to Smithers, then Telkwa to stay with Mike and Denise Maxwell, owner/operators of Maxwell Steelhead Guides.
I had Kevin all to myself for the duration of my trip and he shared many runs with me on some 30+ kilometers of the Bulkley. The waters we explored together ranged from deep green canyon runs to broad bouldered beaches with plenty of holding water to swing flies in search of wild steelhead. As it was nearly mid-October, the weather was crisp with most mornings seeing ice on the gunwales of the jet sled.
To give you a sense of what the trip was like… Kevin and I fished the lower runs on day one, fairing very well with a good number of steelhead hooked, brought to the beach, admired then released. Satisfied with our day, we wrapped it up mid-to-late afternoon so we would be in time for dinner with the Maxwells. On hearing a recount of our day, Mike blustered out… “You ‘screwed up’! Now you’ll expect each and every day to be more of the same!”
Needless to say, this would not be the case. Each day unfolded with no expectations of a like number of fish hooked, played and released. Kevin and I were simply content to be ‘out there’, enjoying our time together on the Bulkley, my ‘guide’ sharing the runs he had come to know during his first season guiding with the Maxwells… that alone was reward enough.
With the original art for Paradise Lost now protected and ready for hanging on a chosen wall in my son’s place, I know it will be enjoyed as and when it makes it home.
On a separate, yet related matter… research and product development associated with the pending release of Paradise Lost as a framed Limited Edition print is ongoing. Stay tuned for further updates as we approach the release date for what will be a stunning work of art!
Richard Mayer
CEO, Inspiration
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