Big Blue (1 of 100 Limited edition)

The Story

Shubert has cropped close here, eschewing the full-body heron portrait in favor of something more intimate and more demanding: just the head, the long neck, and the first suggestion of the chest. The great blue's eye is the anchor — amber-yellow, fierce, alert, ringed in red — and the slate-blue plumage radiates outward in layers of carefully observed color. The background is the Bay itself, a deep teal-green that could be any tidal creek at midmorning. The bird is present, watchful, entirely itself. This is not a decorative heron. This is the real thing.

The Location

Great blue herons are year-round residents of the Chesapeake watershed, found at the edges of every tidal marsh, creek mouth, and shallow flat from the headwaters of the Susquehanna down through the Bay's Virginia tributaries. They are the most visible large wading bird in the region — solitary hunters who stand motionless in the shallows for minutes at a time before striking with a speed that belies their patience. The rookeries along the Bay's shoreline, where dozens nest in dead trees above the tideline, are among the watershed's most remarkable wildlife spectacles.

Artist's Perspective

"Inspired by a heron who is a regular visitor to my backyard and the breakwater in my neighborhood. My family knows him as Big Blue." — Marty Shubert

Curator's Recommendation

A gallery-quality portrait that earns serious wall space. The vertical 3:4 format and the intimate crop create a presence that demands attention without overwhelming a room. Exceptional in studies, hallways, and rooms that need a single powerful focal point. The deep teal background coordinates beautifully with both contemporary coastal interiors and traditional Eastern Shore décor.

Print Quality

Archival-Quality Canvas. Made in the USA with globally sourced materials.

Every Chesapeake Focus print is produced on archival-grade poly-cotton canvas using UL GREENGUARD GOLD certified inks — water resistant, fade resistant, and anti-yellowing. Each canvas is hand-stretched over kiln-dried stretcher bars that are knot-free and warp-free, then finished with your choice of hardwood floater frame in matte black, white, brown, or natural. Ready to hang right out of the box.

Stretcher bars sourced from FSC-certified, sustainably managed forests — a quiet nod to the landscapes our work celebrates.