Painting Free Borsey and the Spirit of the Nooksack
Written by Christopher RemmersThis was the first painting I created for Water Wars (how to avoid), and in many ways, it set the tone for the project's visual arc. Titled Water Is Life, a phrase spoken by Free Borsey. It became both a statement of fact and a spiritual invocation.
Free is a fisherman (and so much more!). His life is bound to the river through action, memory, and meaning. When he says “water is life,” it’s not a metaphor, it’s a daily truth. His relationship with the Nooksack is more than environmental; it’s ancestral, emotional, and sacred.
Painting Relationship, Not Just Portrait
This painting was an early experiment in balancing the mythic with the real. Much of my work leans toward the mythological realist, infused with the spiritual, the archetypal and supernatural. But for this series, and especially for this piece, I wanted to find a quieter voice. A naturalistic stillness that could carry both subtlety and spirit.
In Water Is Life, Free’s portrait is superimposed over the Mt. Baker wilderness and the Nooksack. The river flows beneath him, glowing with golden light. I painted it to feel as if the water is approaching the viewer directly, calling them in. Light plays a central role here, as it often does in my work. It guides the eye, but it also communicates spirit. It illuminates what can’t be said out loud.
The sunlight reflects off the river and strikes his face with warmth and gentleness, echoing a moment shared with him on the banks of the Nooksack. That moment of him sitting quietly, speaking about his connection to the water, was the emotional seed of the painting.
If you look closely, you’ll notice Free’s form dissolves at the shoulders, fading into the landscape as though he is part of it. It’s about unity, reciprocity. He’s not posed in front of the land; he is the land. His being is unified with the place he belongs to.
Out of that dissolution emerge the salmon, vibrant and otherworldly, arcing through the water like spirit beings. These aren’t literal fish. They’re symbols of the cycle, of nourishment, of survival. Their glowing, psychedelic forms hint at both Indigenous storytelling aesthetics and my own sensibilities around energy, movement, and consciousness.
They are the bridge between worlds, water and land, spirit and body, ancestry and survival.
A Portal Into Reverence
This painting isn’t just about a man or a river. It’s about relationship. About seeing the sacred in the everyday. About dissolving the illusion of separation between human and habitat.
When Free says “water is life,” this is what he means. And this is what I’m painting toward.
Christopher Remmers (left) unveiling Water is Life to Free Borsey, his aunt, Lisa Wilson, and his brother, Raven Borsey, at the second Common Waters event on October 5, 2025. Photo: Brenda Phillips
As a classically-trained painter exploring mythological realism, Christopher Remmers bridges ancient wisdom with contemporary practice, teaching artists to find authentic vision through deep relationship with the natural world and timeless storytelling. Based in Bellingham, Washington, he also guides transformative wilderness experiences through Wander Wild, helping individuals reconnect with nature and unlock creative potential. 