A Washington State artist’s painting of J-35 — the southern resident killer whale that has been keeping its dead calf afloat for over a week — has struck a chord with thousands of people gripped by the story.

Lori Christopher’s watercolour painting, See Me, has been shared more than 8,500 times on Facebook since the artist posted it on Wednesday.

Lori Christopher’s painting, See Me, depicting southern resident killer whale J-35 — also known as Tahlequa — went viral after she posted it on Facebook. (Lori Christopher/Facebook)

Christopher, of Hat Island, north of Seattle in the Salish Sea, said