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‘Not cover of the Rolling Stone but…’: Salmon Arm wildlife artist thrilled with magazine

Award-winning painting of chinook salmon appears on front of B.C. publication
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Renowned Salmon Arm wildlife artist Valerie Rogers was honoured to find her award-winning painting of a chinook salmon on the cover of BC Outdoors magazine. (Photo contributed)

“The thrill that’ll getcha when you get your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone…”

The tune of Dr. Hook’s 1970’s hit song, Cover of the Rolling Stone, was stuck in Valerie Rogers’ head when she learned her award-winning painting of a chinook salmon was on the cover of BC Outdoors magazine.

“Maybe it isn’t as exciting as the cover of the Rolling Stone – but for a day I was humming that song,” she smiled.

Rogers, from Salmon Arm, knew BC Outdoors was going to include an article about her, but not that her fish would be featured on the front.

Her chinook was perhaps destined for fame, after her painting, Rapid Ascent, was named in November 2022 as the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s winner of its Salmon Conservation Stamp Art Competition for 2023-24.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada issues the Salmon Conservation Stamp, which is purchased and affixed to the licence of tidal water anglers who wish to retain any species of salmon. Those who want to keep chinook purchase the chinook stamp.

Valerie’s spouse Neil subscribes to BC Outdoors magazine, so she saw her painting when his copy arrived in the mail.

“It came for him, so I have appropriated his. He’s like, don’t bend the pages,” she said with a smile.

“It was a nice surprise,” she adds. “It is a privilege to see it there.”

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Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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