Klamath River at Bluff Creek

Byron McClintock

A rare representational image by one of the Abstract Expressionists of Northern California, Byron McClintock employs his signature, smoky application of ink to the paper to capture the shadowed banks of the Klamath River. It is likely early summer in this image, when the trout grow big from feasting on stoneflies. In “Klamath River” we see one such specimen jumping out of the water to catch its dinner beneath the safety of an overhanging scrub tree. The shadows and soft light indicate dusk, the most active time of the day for stoneflies and mosquitos.

Known for its fishing and recreation as well as its beauty, the Klamath runs through some of the most unforgiving territory in Southern Oregon and Northern California before it meets the Pacific Ocean. The entire river is still a central hub for traditional fishing and ceremonial practices of the Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa, Modoc, Shasta, and Klamath tribes.