Monday, December 11, 2017

Paint the Town Kingston 2017 - The Judge's Comments

PHILIP CHADWICK – 184 YORK
"Another fine example of the sure hand and bold composition we've come to expect from the artist. Instantly recognizable stylistic approach – simplified, yet with sufficient detail to convey character. (I just checked, and found I'd said pretty much the same things last year!)

Because your “style” is so destinctive and predictable (not intended as a negative comment), I feel I have to suggest you ask yourself: Does your style serve the subject, or does the subject serve your style? Which do you consider more important? I guess the second question would be, does it matter?

As an example, Van Gogh's paintings are usually easily recognizable, yet his “style” tends to vary – perhaps in sympathy with his subject matter. Just a thought."

I was and am honoured to have anyone appreciate my art. Bruce, an Instructor at the Kingston School of the Art really thought about his comments... and they in turn, made me think as well. Thinking is always good. I seldom rework my plein air records in the studio when I get home. The effort seldom improves on the honest inspiration of the moment.

Here are my thoughts sparked by Bruce's observations...

My style as determined how the pigments "look" on the support does indeed vary. An early critic in the 1980's thought that my art varied too much. She didn't quite know who I was as an artist... maybe I was still finding myself as well. The classical education from Mario Airomi lent itself to photographic realism. The time and effort was not wasted as it was a great way to learn from the renaissance masters.

Certainly my style is influenced by the range of supports that I employ. I work on everything from coarse canvas to ultra-smooth panels. The age of the brushes and the oils also have a part to play within the brush strokes.

The subject matter is the vital element and I am very sensitive to the requirements and individuality of the motivation to record the particular star of the scene. My brushwork can be delicate and precise but can sometimes be jabs and slashes of raw colour. Of course the weather and the elements also play a major role – especially when I am out en plein air as I prefer to be.

Perfection can be over-rated. Sometimes the accidental strokes can subconsciously surface to reveal the soul of the subject. I try to preserve those imperfect but eloquent blobs of pigment. A thousand strokes striving for perfection can slay the soul of the painting.

To sum it up each painting and subject are individuals. My respect for them is always high which is why I decide to devote considerable effort in recording them anyway. My bold approach to colours and brushstrokes should be the recurring theme through my work. The influences above do influence this boldness but the distinctive passion for painting must always shine through.


Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Paint the Town Kingston 2017

Paint the Town Kingston 2017 is on at the Window Art Gallery! There are over 40 pieces in the show and it looks great! The attached poster tells the story. The Reception is this Sunday Dec 10th from 2 - 4 p.m. Hope to see you there! http://www.windowartgallerykingston.com/

There are larger sized posters in the office for $5 each if you would like one for your home. Paint the Town is in affiliation with the International Plein Air Painters (IPAP). and their Annual World-wide Paint Out. Art is all about being creative and making memories - sometimes with like-minded friends. There is a tremendous amount of organization and planning behind the scenes that make these paint outs so successful and so much fun.The Annual World-wide Paint Out is a Friday through Sunday event sometime in early to mid September.
I have been participating with Paint the Town Kingston for at least four years now... I forget. I really immerse myself into the oils for three solid days and am looking forward to 2018 already. In 2017 I completed ten pieces in those three days. That is about standard when I am in the creative zone. They are all posted on philchadwickart.blogspot.ca as well as on Fine Art America within the IPAP Gallery. Here is the link to the last painting from the 2017 Paint the Twon. This one is on display at the Window Art Gallery and included in the poster - thank you!
 #2023 "184 York"

Sunday, November 26, 2017

The Artistic Journey of Phil the Forecaster Chadwick

Phil's artistic journey started in 1967 at the small cottage just east of the 1000 Islands Village which is home to the River West Company. Now in 2017, Phil and his art has returned home.

 The master artist Mario Airomi lived in that cottage and took Phil under his brush as his protege. Phil would ride his bike along the Old Kings Highway from Brockville for the Saturday lesson. Phil enjoyed a classical training in the arts until Mario passed away in 1976. That was the same year that Phil Graduated from Queens with a degree in nuclear physics. Mario was more than a friend and a teacher providing a start into the world of art.
A 36 year career in meteorology with Environment Canada combined both art and science. Every cloud has a tale to tell just like every stroke of a brush. Phil never stopped painting and works mostly "en plein air" in oils. Being retired he can now paint and paddle all the time.

Phil lives and paints out of passion for the natural world - inspired by nature to see beyond the surface and to share the experience - a vision in pigment and texture. The immediate goal is to extract the maximum amount of inspiration from the moment and have fun doing it while surrounded by and immersed in the natural elements. Somehow the soul of the scene finds its way into the paint and the canvas is an everlasting memory of that moment.

Phil's goal is to make the next painting his new favourite and to improve in capturing the essence of the subject with lots of colour and bold strokes! Art is a way of life and is all about making memories. Much of this art can be viewed on Pixels at 1-phil-chadwick.pixels.com.
The River West Co is the exclusive provider of Phil's art in the 1000 Islands Village just west of Mario Airomi's Cottage. What goes around... comes around. Life is good!

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Phil the Forecaster and the River West Company

Phil's artistic journey started in 1967 at the small cottage just east of the 1000 Islands Village which is home to the River West Company. Now in 2017, Phil and his art has returned home.

 The master artist Mario Airomi lived in that cottage and took Phil under his brush as his protege. Phil enjoyed a classical training in the arts until Mario passed away in 1976. That was the same year that Phil Graduated from Queens with a degree in nuclear physics. Mario was more than a friend and a teacher providing a start into the world of art.
A 36 year career in meteorology with Environment Canada combined both art and science. Every cloud has a tale to tell just like every stroke of a brush. Phil never stopped painting and works mostly "en plein air" in oils. Being retired he can now paint and paddle all the time.

Phil lives and paints out of passion for the natural world - inspired by nature to see beyond the surface and to share the experience - a vision in pigment and texture. The immediate goal is to extract the maximum amount of inspiration from the moment and have fun doing it while surrounded by and immersed in the natural elements. Somehow the soul of the scene finds its way into the paint and the canvas is an everlasting memory of that moment.

Phil's goal is to make the next painting his new favourite and to improve in capturing the essence of the subject with lots of colour and bold strokes! Art is a way of life and is all about making memories.
Now the River West Co is the exclusive provider of Phil's art in the 1000 Islands Village just west of Mario Airomi's Cottage. What goes around... comes around. Life is good!




Friday, October 13, 2017

Phil the Forecaster Chadwick CPAWS Biography

Phil the Forecaster is a nuclear physicist turned meteorologist but has always been an artist. Phil Chadwick paints mostly "en plein air" in oils. Paddling and looking after nature rounds out the passion that Phil has for life and the environment.

I live and paint out of passion for the natural world. I am inspired by nature to see beyond the surface and to share the experience - a vision in pigment and texture. My immediate goal is to extract the maximum amount of inspiration from the moment and have fun doing it while surrounded by and immersed in the natural elements. Somehow the soul of the scene finds its way on to the canvas.

My simple desire is to make the next painting my new favourite and to improve in capturing the essence of the subject with lots of colouand bold strokes!

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is dedicated to protect the biodiversity of  Canada through legislation and public education. The Ottawa Valley Chapter is working protect the Ottawa Valley and surrounding areas. The Frontenac Arch Biosphere has Singleton Lake right in the center. The area is truly unique and needs to be respected. Art as well as science have a big part to play in this endeavour.

Life is good ... very good! Plus you gotta laugh !

Saturday, September 30, 2017

#1643 "August Sunset"

This is the summer, sunset sky of Saturday August 1st, 2015 around 9 pm. The towering cumulus in the unstable summer air mass in the wake of a cold front were decaying with the setting sun. The lake was getting quiet again after a full day of boating and swimming. I swam everyday since May 15th and now the water was indeed very warm by comparison to that of mid spring.

Northwesterly breezes were sculpting the remains of these convective towers. I doubt that the cumulus were ever tall enough to deliver any precipitation. These winds carved tropical angel fish - actually an entire school. There are other things in the clouds like the USS Enterprise but I will leave them for you to discover.

Oils on medium burnt sienna oil tinted foundation on commercial canvas - 16 X 20 (inches).

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Tom Thomson Was A Weatherman with Phil the Forecaster Chadwick

"Join artist and meteorologist Phil "the Forecaster" Chadwick in a perspective- changing look at the genius of Tom Thomson as an artist through the weather and inspired him...."
If there ever was a year to study the art of Tom Thomson, this is it, a hundred years after his passing. Canada lost a gifted artist way too soon. What might he have produced?
A chance inquiry from a friend at Killbear Provincial Park has grown into a tour of other Provincial Parks in late August... with maybe more on the way. I like to make every trip away from the lake count. Each presentation will be a bit different depending upon the interests of the group. Here is what I know so far..
Killbear Provincial Park Tuesday August 29th 8 pm
Algonquin Wednesday August 30th, 8 pm
Arrowhead Thursday August 31st, 8 pm
Bonnechere Friday September 1st, 8 pm
I will update this list and times...I arrive early and stay late to answer any questions. I've even been known to talk about the weather...





Saturday, April 8, 2017

Leslie Allen - A fantastic Colorado artist with Ontario Roots



Leslie Allen is a terrific and very prolific artist - she is up to 3000 works - and a very good friend. She wrote the following article about me for her newsletter. https://allenfineart.com/newsletter.shtml

I continue to paint up a storm... just posted a freezing rain sky this morning - #1906  "Sunrise Freezing Rain Deformation Zone" 
My art is appearing on coffee cups and shower curtains around the Globe... as created through Pixels.com. Life is too much fun and I am not making this stuff up ...



Friday, March 24, 2017

Summer 2017 Dumoine River Art Camp

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) -Ottawa Valley Chapter (OV) will be hosting their first annual Dumoine River Art Camp from August 2-7, 2017. The Art Camp will bring together artists working in different mediums and from communities across Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. Applications close on April 30, 2017
I will be there painting with Aleta Karstad. It will be fun! ...
Here is the CPAWS website link with all of the details ... more fun than a flipped canoe!
Here is a sample of the work I create en plein air while on a canoe trip... I think it important to have a meteorologist/weather person with you on every outing :>)

For more information about me... https://flipboard.com/@PhilChadwic2016 and my art - Chadwick Art House. 

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Canoe Lake Paddle 2016

Life is all about place and for me, Canoe Lake is one of those special places. I paddled between 19 and 23 kilometres on Sunday October 2nd 2016 around the perimeter of Canoe Lake. Apparently it took about 7000 paddle strokes to go the distance. My forty-six Canoe Lake paintings based on that paddle tally to 3291.7 square inches not counting the larger panels based on those smaller works. I am sill painting those larger canvases.
The circled numbers on the map of Canoe Lake indicates the location of each of those paintings. There are still some gaps and I need to go back and 'phil' those in.
The Canoe Lake Pilgrimage Paddle Paintings can be found at https://niume.com/post/247685.


PS: Phil’s Ongoing “Magazines” https://flipboard.com/@PhilChadwic2016 including my growing self-published book on Tom Thomson, my own art, Canadiana and even some humour...

PSS: Here is a link to my Canoe Lake Gallery on Pixels.


Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Paint Ontario 2017

If you follow my posts, you will know it takes a lot to pry me from home. I quite enjoy spending my time paddling, painting and enhancing the location natural world. Friends encouraged me to enter the Paint Ontario Show. Being the 150 Anniversary of Canada and the unfortunate centennial of the passing of Tom Thomson also prompted me to venture forth. I submitted three pieces and all were accepted - maybe I am doing something right as a Hermit...I know I continue to paint up a storm. Life is good at the lake... very good...
For more information, please visit http://paintontario.com/
I will keep you posted...

Sunday, February 12, 2017

The Southampton Arts Centre and Art School

I started my happy association with Southampton in 2016... this will be eleven years and it coincides with the 60th Anniversay of the School. The Southampton Art School started in 1957 under the Directorship of Bert Henderson and an advisory board of such renowned artists as A.Y. Jackson, Arthur Lismer, Alex Colville and Lawren P. Harris - famous artists you might remember. Forty-nine years later, I was the first artist in residence in 2006 and looking back, I am still driving the same car... it is getting to be my signature paint-mobile.


 Here are my two Southampton Paint-Outs for 2017. They will be fun. Come and paint with us.

The Southampton Art School and Group of Seven share a lot of history. The Group also share a lot of history with Killarney. A.Y. Jackson was instrumental in the creation of Killarney Provincial Park. Franklin Carmichael, Arthur Lismer and A. J. Casson also painted in Killarney. Now it is an annual event for the Southampton Art School and Phil the Forecaster to paint in the park in early October. Life is very good!
For these and other events check out my pixels.com.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven

As many of you know, I have been presenting my version of the art of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven since the mid 1980's. There is still much to learn and present. 2017 will be a busy year with a century passing since the tragic loss of one of Canada's finest artists, Tom Thomson.
A search of the web will reveal the time and location of presentations for you to enjoy but these are some of the ones where I will be participating.

2017 is also Canada 150 so there is no better time to celebrate the Canadian Culture. Embrace and support it!

The Natural World: Tom Thomson's Inspiration, Thursday, March 23, 2017
https://www.bluewaterlearns.com/lectures/tom-thomson-and-group-seven


Southampton Art School 2017
Wind, Waves and Weather August 24-26th
Tom Thomson Was A Weatherman, Thursday, August 24th at the Bruce County Museum
The Killarney Adventure with Phil Chadwick October 2-6th

Oxtongue Lake Community Centre  during Hike Haliburton: Tom Thomson and Group of Seven Celebrations - Saturday September 23rd 2017. Presentation

I have an on-line version of my Tom Thomson book as one of my Magazines which can be found at https://flipboard.com/@PhilChadwic2016. Enjoy