Wilson Street Studios - Kawartha's Retreat - Buzzard Arctic Sea Smoke

I was up at dawn again on Sunday morning. The air mass was a lot chiller overnight and there was quite a lot of Arctic sea smoke rising off the warm water of Buzzard Lake. Those spirals of rising air were taking heat with them. The morning swim was a bit chillier.
A medium sized snapping turtle was curious and hung around most of the morning.

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Fishing Pier

We crossed the Saugeen Harbour for lunch and I related some of the Tom Thomson story. They had never heard the details of the Thomson mystery so I gave a condensed version my best shot. After lunch we painted looking westward across the mouth of the harbour. The land breeze was still dominate. Apparently the gradient wind was more than enough to overpower the lake breeze. As a result we had some fairly active cumulus cells drift over our location. These cumulus bubbles fizzled over the cooler waters of the lake. They were quite dramatic front lit cloud formations for the brief period when they hung in front of us. That is the way I painted them. I included a chap who was casting across the mouth of the Saugeen. A lady was also sitting on the fat side of the range light, dangling her legs over the edge. The last participant of this version of Wind Waves and Weather left at 4 pm.

Wilson Street Studios - Kawartha's Retreat - Margaritaville, Buzzard Lake

My canoe "Margaritaville was parked on the west shore of Buzzard Lake in the northern Kawarthas. The sun was blinding and it was going to be another terrific day.

Wilson Street Studios - Kawartha's Retreat -Deformation Zone Cirrus

A deformation zone emerged around the top of the upper ridge around midday. Mare's tail cirrus appeared for a while in addition to the stratocumulus cloud that we had been watching for a few days. The classic deformation zone conceptual model could explain all of the lines and swirls in the moisture patterns. Cumulus clouds resulting from daytime heating are common on the sunny side of the deformation zone but dissipate on the cloudy side. Such was the case here as well, even with a southeastward moving deformation zone. Note that the cirrus is a bit thicker with the cyclonic circulation side of the deformation zone where the weak lift was enhanced - on the right. The opposite is true on the anticyclonic side of the deformation zone.
The paired vorticity centres were weak and since there was nil moisture to reveal the associated circulations in the upper atmosphere, they could only be inferred from the conceptual model.
Every cloud has a tale to tell.

Wilson Street Studios - Kawartha's Retreat - A New Dawn on Buzzard Lake

I was up at dawn again on Saturday morning. The air mass was a bit chiller overnight and there were patches of Arctic sea smoke forming. This is another "SSS" - a 5x7 inch small, slippery surface.

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Always 'n Time

The ladies wanted to overcome their fear of painting boats so we practiced on the boats across the Saugeen River. I asked them to zoom in on their composition and to remember to blur their eyes. The logic was that they would. to try to include and paint in material that they could not see. My painting included just the forward two thirds of "Just in Time". This boat never moved so it was technically "always" ready.

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Huron Shore Shadows

I painted looking north from the jetty along the Lake Huron shore toward Sauble Beach. It was still barley 9 am and the shadows were long. The ladies wanted me to do another demonstration piece so I talked my way through this composition from construction to laying the colours in. The deck of cloud on the horizon and the cirrus fingers were fun.

Wilson Street Studios - Special Workshop - A "Go"

This workshop is now officially a "Go". There are enough participants to make it fun but there is still room for a few others. Contact Keith at the link below. I am currently in Killarney painting. The weather is going to get better. This is from this morning near Willisville and before the rain started to pour...

"My friend Keith Thirgood has asked me to do a workshop in east Toronto on Sunday September 28th... sounds like fun! Keith and Helen present premium Ontario-based Art Retreats and I have been fortunate enough to participate for two years now. It will be a seven hour experience. I will do my very best to make it a "hoot". Here is the link to the details that Keith will publish as they become known."
http://www.wilsonstreetstudios.com/workshops-and-classes.html

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Range Light Dawn

I arrived at the Southampton Range Light jetty at 7:15 am. The land breeze was moderate and chilly making me think that the gradient wind between the high over eastern Ontario and the approaching cold frontal trough and low was playing an important role.
The clouds revealed a double deformation zone pattern. The low to the west produced a long arch of cirrostratus low on the western horizon. A deck of stratocumulus clouds in the land breeze also revealed a low level deformation zone. The stratocumulus clouds were flat like Paleo pancakes. A couple of jet contrails were headed eastward and far overhead.
The calm water down the middle of the Saugeen channel was the smooth wake of a fishing boat. I can't really explain just why the water stays so calm for tens of minutes in the wake of a boat. This is another mystery like "the white line" that needs investigation.
There were lots of fishermen on the jetty but no one was catching anything. Apparently one person caught a seven pound pike using leeches at $7 dollars a dozen. That is an expensive pike fillet. I painted looking westward along the jetty toward the range light. Most people let their left brain overpower their sense of sight and they draw a tall lighthouse instead of a squat range light. The two lights are very different.

Paint the Town with IPAP and KSOA in Barriefield

From todays' Whig Standard:

http://www.thewhig.com/2014/09/14/artists-paint-the-town-

It was a fun time painting in Barriefield with the Kingston School of Art (KSOA).   This is the second year that the KSOA has affiliated with the International Plein Air Painters (IPAP). The 2015 IPAP World-Wide Paintout is slated for September 11, 12, and 13th. I do not join many groups but IPAP is one of those. I am a Charter and Signature member with IPAP and share its painterly goals. It is all about finding your voice amid supportive camaraderie.

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Beach Cumulus

The upper air must have had a short wave trough sweeping through the ridge of high pressure. The convection that had developed on the lake breeze front became very active and raindrops showered down on us, presumably delivered by the return flow above the onshore lake breeze. Two of the lady artists decided to bail at this point. They were painting in acrylic and water based pigments do not play well in the rain - no matter how light the shower might be. A wedding was being assembled on the Southampton beach behind us. The organizers were worried about the rain. As it turned out it remained dry through the entire ceremony to which we had front row seats - almost. They didn't want us to move and we just kept quietly painting.
The clouds really were like "boulders in the sky"...

Fine Art America - Ten

house posters house greeting cards house metal prints house acrylic prints house framed prints group of seven art trees canvas prints trees paintings trees prints trees framed prints trees acrylic prints trees metal prints trees greeting cards trees posters lake paintings lake canvas prints lake prints lake framed prints lake posters lake greeting cards lake metal prints lake acrylic prints killarney canvas prints killarney prints killarney framed prints killarney posters killarney greeting cards

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Developing Towers

The cumulus clouds continued to develop into towering castles of cloud. It looked like it could rain even though the theory would keep the lake breeze convergence line inland along with the showers it could create. The wedding was scheduled to start at 2:30 pm. I offered to move the group of artists but the organizers thought we added some local colour - so to speak.
The bride was beautiful. I wish them well. It did not rain on their parade.

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Southampton Showers

After the wedding the skies became even more ominous. I turned to paint the beach looking northward and to catch the developing towering cumulus. These clouds developed so much that we got rather wet so the line passed over the beach. The oil paints took the shower well and I just continued painting. Water dripped down the canvas and the palette was soaked. The oil paint didn't care and if I pushed a bit harder, I was able to grind the pigment into the canvas. The effect on the painting was pleasing anyway so all was good. There w as no thunder although a couple of times I thought I caught the flicker of lightning in the distance. By this time I was down to one participant - Karen.
It didn't rain a drop in downtown Southampton a scant kilometre away...

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Chantry Sails

The same scene as #1446 "Chantry Light Dawn" can also be turned into a marinescape. I moved the horizon up to the top third and focused on the sweeping nature of the shore line and the waves. The remains of the short dock was turned into the sweeping arc as well. A sail boat passed at the just the right moment so it too appeared in the composition.
This is on a "SSS" - small slippery panel.

Wilson Street Studios - Kawartha's Retreat - Brown Island Greens

The ridge of high pressure was still holding the weather systems to the west at bay. The calm water and perfect reflections always interest me although there are some artists who would say "why paint that?" My answer is simply "Why not?". It is always a challenge to do the scene justice and that is reason enough for me. The lily pads in the foreground makes it nearly impossible to hang this painting upside down.
Oils on burnt sienna oil tinted commercial canvas - 8 X 10 (inches)

Wilson Street Studios - Kawartha's Retreat - Buzzard Sunrise

I was typically the first to get up at campsite 423 in the Kawarthas. There was plenty of time to start a morning demo and to capture the magic light of sunrise. This view is looking southerly toward the privately owned island. A canoeist who paddled by said that the island was owned by the Brown family so for better or worse, that it what that island became known - at least to me. It was a fun trip!

Fine Art America - Nine

meteorologist greeting cards queen\'s university paintings physicist paintings canoeist prints canoeist posters canoeist paintings canoeist framed prints canoeist acrylic prints canoeist metal prints canoeist greeting cards meteorologist metal prints meteorologist acrylic prints water metal prints lily acrylic prints art appreciation posters art appreciation greeting cards art appreciation prints paint framed prints paint acrylic prints conservationist prints art appreciation metal prints art appreciation framed prints art appreciation acrylic prints house canvas prints house paintings house prints house posters

Fine Art America - Eight

chadwick acrylic prints chadwick metal prints realism postersrealism metal prints chadwick greeting cards paint paintings paint canvas prints paint prints paint posters paint greeting cards paint metal prints realism greeting cards phil the forecaster canvas prints international plein air painters prints floral posters floral greeting cards floral acrylic prints floral metal prints water acrylic prints meteorologist prints meteorologist framed prints meteorologist posters

Wilson Street Studios - Kawartha's Retreat - Buzzard Lake Sunset Shore

The line of showers and thunderstorms had passed Buzzard Lake allowing the sunset to illuminate the eastern shore opposite camp site 423. The lighting is magic for just a short time period and I wanted to illustrate capturing those colours in plein air. The camera cannot do justice to the brilliance and intensity of these very transient colours. This is only a 5x7 inch panel.
It was a great group of artist...

Fine Art America - Seven

lily prints lily framed prints lily posters lily greeting cards lily metal prints water paintings water canvas prints water prints water framed prints water posters reflection prints reflection framed prints water greeting cards reflection acrylic prints reflection metal prints reflection greeting cards reflection posters landscape framed prints landscape posters landscape greeting cards landscape acrylic prints landscape metal prints chadwick prints chadwick framed prints chadwick posters chadwick acrylic prints

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Chantry Light Dawn

I was at Gerry's Fast Foods by 7:30 am and ready to paint. It was cloudy but mild and no one was on the beach. Clouds were drifting off the land in the nocturnal land breeze. A layer of fog hung on the horizon over Lake Huron. There were enough breaks in the deck of stratocumulus that the sun was able to shine on the white Imperial Tower of Chantry Island. My subject matter had to be Chantry, the light house and the clouds. I turned this scene into a skyscape. Small waves lapped at the shoreline and that was the only sound in the air.

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Parked Yachts

The cumulus clouds along the lake breeze front really started to rocket upward. The onshore lake breeze was vigourous as well and any showers would certainly stay inland. We continued to paint.
This view is looking eastward up the Saugeen River from the harbour mouth. The line of sailboats always seem to be on hand. The boats stood out clearly against the backdrop of dark trees. I finished my painting at 5:15 pm. It had been a very long first day of Winds, Waves and Weather, Southampton 2014. Everyone else had left around 4:30 pm.

Southampton Art School - Winds, Waves and Weather - Huron Shore

We moved down to the jetty that supported the Saugeen Range Light. The onshore breeze and fog kept us cool. Jean and Linda found it to be too cool after a while and moved inland out of the chilly breeze. The conditions were ideal for plein air painting.

I panted the shore line extending northward from the jetty. I had painted some of the driftwood before and I recognized a couple of the tree trunks that were still there from years previous. I did not include them in this particular painting. If it were not for the tops of the hydro poles which I did include, this scene could be from the remotest and wildest part of Canada. The tops of the poles give the urban setting away.

Southampton Art School's "Wind, Waves and Weather" - Just 'n Time

I was set up on Scubby's Bluff by 6:30 am on Friday August 22nd (my Mother's birthday). The fog was quite thick. The street lights were still on and bright. I decided to paint the two fishing boats on the opposite shore as an illustration for the participants who would arrive around 9 am. The crew started to arrive for the one boat so I made that part of the painting a big priority! They were gone by 7:00 am so I had to finish the other boat and the details after that. The fishing boat that remained never moved during the entire workshop. It was aptly named "Just 'n Time" which was always true since it never moved.
I was using my palette from the Kawarthas' plein Air Trip and it was getting tacky and time to start anew. The oil paint had been on the palette for a couple of weeks and almost none of it was wasted. The paint was sticky and proved to be a trap for the small night-time bugs that still flew in the early morning hours.
I watched what were most likely salmon and rainbow trout snatch morsels from the surface. I even saw the large dark shapes in the shallow water with their huge tail fins breaking the surface like sharks. I never saw one of these trophies caught.

Wilson Street Studio - Special Workshop

My friend Keith Thirgood has asked me to do a workshop in east Toronto on Sunday September 28th... sounds like fun! Keith and Helen present premium Ontario-based Art Retreats and I have been fortunate enough to participate for two years now. It will be a seven hour experience. I will do my very best to make it a "hoot". Here is the link to the details that Keith will publish as they become known.
http://www.wilsonstreetstudios.com/workshops-and-classes.html

 I just followed the link and am quite flattered by Keith's confidence - then I looked up the synonyms for "mature". Of the words with similar meanings, I think I would prefer "in your prime" as opposed to old :>)) My wife does say that I am just as immature (Antonym to mature) now as I was when I was 16...

Inn for Repairs

Well the Southampton Art School Classes are over for another year. We had a great time and everyone painted into exhaustion. It was a "happy" exhaustion though.

I did several demos each of the three days and came back home with 14 paintings. Southampton has a lot of potential painting material. I will post these during the next several days. I started to paint around 7 am in the really nice morning light and kept going until after 5 pm... One participant was challenged by boats. They are simply shapes and colours. I did this painting by the book and started with a value sketch - my friend Keith Thirgood would be pleased. The blue boat in the painting was hoisted up on the shore because of an explosion. A worker was cleaning the boat and ignited fumes which resulted in a catastrophic explosion. Life is a fragile thing and must be enjoyed to its fullest, each and every day.