Singleton on Ice

The weather was amazingly mild with temperatures reaching 10 Celsius under overcast skies with blustery southwesterly winds. The ice on Singleton responded and drifted around. The air was full of the sound of ice edges crunching together. There was not much open water. The mergansers and the few small flocks of blacks and mallards stayed in the small patch of open water in the middle of the lake. Generally the lake was covered with jostling sheets of ice of different ages, thickness and colours. My homemade canvas had a lot of "tooth" which I really enjoyed. The canvas really grabbed the oil.

I did an experiment with another camera set up and focused to take pictures as the painting developed. This is nothing new except that it is a first for me. The act of simply "clicking" the shutter took me out of the artistic zone and I found that a bit (a lot) frustrating. I did some things and took some short cuts that I wouldn't have normally done. I was acutely aware that the camera battery was dying and the the rain showers along the approaching cold front were getting closer as well. I persisted though as I wanted to see how the experiment would turn out. This painting is more about the experiment than the art. I need to automate this entire process somehow. You can be the just whether this is worthwhile or not.

Jim Day Reflections

It was a mild day and I had some time to paint after my chores were done. The lone female merganser was still diving around to keep me company. Something quite large startled me with a big splash at the ice's edge. I probably startled it even more. It might have been either the otter or beaver that I had watched earlier in the morning. The blue birds were still hanging around.
I was interested in the gray colours of the sky, distant trees and snow. The warm shades of the exposed marble at the water's edge were the only hints of warmth in this view of my swimming hole. No swimming for me until at least next May! A chilly east breeze developed ahead of an approaching system. My hands got really cold and that hastened my painting along.
Painting Place the end of Long Reach at N44.52226 W76.10405 looking northwesterly across Jim Day Rapids into the frozen eastern bay of Singleton Lake.

Killarney - The Annual Adventure of the Southampton Art School

If anyone would like to participate in the Killarney Paint Escape for October 2014 - The Annual Adventure of the Southampton Art School - please let me or the Southampton Art School know very soon. The Southampton Art School Courses are being planned for 2014. We had a great time in 2013 but the class size could have been larger. The image is from the only cloudy day we enjoyed. You can contact the Southampton Art School from my favourite links. Happy Holidays... now it is time to go outside and paint...

Invitation to connect on LinkedIn

From Phil the Forecaster Chadwick Committee Member and Artist at 50 Years of Our Flag Project Ontario, Canada PhiltheForecaster, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. - Phil the Forecaster Confirm that you know Phil the Forecaster You are receiving Invitation to Connect emails. Unsubscribe © 2013, LinkedIn Corporation. 2029 Stierlin Ct. Mountain View, CA 94043, USA

Singleton Snow Day

Snow is beautiful especially if you don't have to travel. We had about 30 cm of snow overnight. Light snow continued as I painted. The only sound was chatter of the mergansers on the lake and the hum of the backup generator. Hydro went out at 5 am and wouldn't be back for hours. It was a perfect day to paint. The forecast was perfect from my good friend Robbie Kuhn.

The scene is a tangle of branches and boughs weighed down by heavy, wet snow. I had fun.

Marble Sliver

My subject was a sliver of silver marble marking the shore of Long Reach. The colour may not be exactly "silver" but it makes a humourous dyslexic play on words that I enjoyed. The granite looking shoreline is actually marble which is limestone rock that has been melted and stirred around again. Here is another silly play on words as how can a round "marble" actually be a sliver? Simply, I liked the colours and the way that the relection of the trees played in the water.
Painting on the "toothless" panel forced me to again paint very wet on very wet and forget any mixing of the pools of oil. It was fun which is the only reason why I paint.

November Sunset

The sky was on fire. The approaching winter storm was following the warm conveyor belt carpet in the atmosphere. The reflection of light through the ice crystals of the cirrostratus emboldened me to make note of the many colours. Although I tried very hard I couldn't do justice to the beauty of nature in the sky.

There is almost no "tooth" to the gessoed panels so I have to lay the paint on thick - very wet on very wet. It is a fun change for me... painting with pools and swirls of oil and pure colour.

Common Mergansers at Singleton Lake

I suppose it is a sign of a very healthy ecosystem. The common mergansers have been on the lake for almost a week eating minnows. They actively and cooperatively corral their prey before simultaneously plunging under the surface to chase them down. They are very successful. When I put my canoe in the water or round a corner the sound of hundreds of these heavy birds making their surface running take-off is like the applause at a Jimmy Buffett or Great Big Sea concert... even though I am anticipating the sound, it always causes me to wonder just what is making that noise. That is a steel great blue heron in the foreground. It rarely moves except in a really big wind. There is still a real great blue heron on the lake. There are even blue birds still at the lake. They normally migrate in August with the insects.

Wilson Street Street Studios 4-day Back Country Art Retreat with Phil Chadwick August 6 - 10, 2014

There are only 8 spots available - the really long range forecast is for mainly sunny skies with highs of 25 Celsius - of course we can't rule out the chance of a passing shower or thunderstorm. The showers will be in the passing lane and not on the slower, right side of the road so it will all be "OK".
For more details, follow the links ... hope to have a full group!

http://www.wilsonstreetstudios.com/kawartha-highlands-retreat-2014.html

http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/kawarthahighlands

Let me know if you are interested or if you wish further information. I am here to help.