Great Lakes Art

The Great Lakes are among the most important waterways in North America. Artwork of the region depicts scenes from the water including freshwater fish, fishing, boats, shipping, lighthouses, hunting, waterfowl and other nautical icons.

Great Lakes freshwater fish artwork depicts a wide range of fish, including native lake fish as well as introduced species. Among the most commonly reproduced fish are members of the pike family including pike, pickerel and musky. Other favorites are walleye, sauger, white bass and yellow perch.

Trout and salmon are well represented in Great Lakes art. A few species from this group are native to the waterway such as lake trout and brook trout. Atlantic salmon were another native species although they are now considered to be extinct locally. Several non-native trout and salmon thrive in the region and are often depicted in local art. Among these are brown trout, rainbow trout, steelhead, Chinook salmon and coho salmon.

Lighthouses of the region are often favorite subjects of artists. Hundreds of lighthouses have occupied the five lakes of the region through several centuries. Great Lakes lighthouses are often memorialized thru photography, paintings and sculptures.

American and Canadian artists of the region paint, photograph and create carvings of ducks, geese and swans. Waterfowl of the Great lakes includes mallards, black ducks, green-winged teal, American widgeon, gadwall, pintail, scaup, redheads, ring-necked ducks, ruddy ducks, bufflehead, shovelers, goldeneye, mergansers, old squaw, scoters, Trumpeter swans, snow geese, Canada geese and Atlantic brant.

Vessels of all sizes are popular in Great Lakes art. These craft range from tiny rowboats to the massive ore boats that travelled the lakes, canals and waterways. Artists offer a stunning range of boat art, including photographs, paintings, sketches, line drawings, model ships and other representations.

Landscapes, beaches and shorelines are also popular. These works of art showcase scenes from past and present along the coasts of Lake Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.