Connecting with Nature

 "The Connecting with Nature, Oak Ridges Moraine" art book received the 2009 Moraine Hero Award for demonstrating remarkable efforts in protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine. Several other King artists were involved in this wonderful book that Herbert Pryke designed.

Herbert asked for submissions from artists living on the Oak Ridges Moraine to assist with this project. 

At the time we were living on the very crest of the Oak Ridges Moraine along the 12th Concession of King Township. The front yard drained to Kennifick Lake (a kettle lake), thence northeastward via the Schomberg River to the Holland Marsh and ultimately reaching Lake Simcoe via the Holland River. The back 25 acres fed into the Humber River. Watershed Farm started as an abandoned century-old farmhouse and evolved into a jewel of conservation and natural beauty - at least in our eyes. I loved Watershed Farm ... the honey bees, turkeys, deer and even the opossums migrating northward with climate change trying to find a place to live. Life was good and always very interesting. We planted lots of trees too including many black walnuts!

In 2009 the Oak Ridges Moraine was under the threat of unchecked and rampant development. Artists banded together to do their best similar to the story of how A.Y. Jackson and the Ontario Society of Artists contributed to the creation of Killarney Provincial Park. 

I submitted two plein air pieces painted on Watershed Farm for consideration by Christine A. Lynett, Manager, Programs, McMichael Canadian Art Collection. They were from the same location but completed in very different seasons. 

#0879 "The Copse" 11x14 oils on canvas

#0610 "Wild Life" 16x20 oils on canvas
The first time I froze my hands...

Christine wrote: "Congratulations on being selected for the Oak Ridges Moraine Book -I loved your work and I chose both the autumn scene (879-this one) and the winter fence (0610) scene ... the works really stood out especially the colour in THE autumn scene ... the use of brushstroke and composition in both with horizon line near top were very engaging."

 "The Copse"  as it appears in
"Connecting with Nature, Oak Ridges Moraine

Herbert remains a good friend and continues practising his altruism to the benefit of all - currently in Owen Sound. 

Sadly, the Oak Ridges Moraine is once again under attack. Investigative journalists and the Auditor General are doing their best to discover the truth behind the backroom political deals made behind closed doors. Concerned citizens from every walk of life are taking part in an effort to preserve an irreplaceable and essential environment thousands of years in the making. 

The Greenbelt is not a scam as Premier Ford claims and the issue is not about housing as Minister Clark insists. If you must, plan a sustainable city of the future instead of an obsolete suburb of the past. The Conservation Authorities that recently suffered severe budget and mandate cuts were born out of the devastation from Hurricane Hazel of October 1954. Politicians have long forgotten those valuable lessons while citizen scientists have not.  

Apparently, power does corrupt and this latest threat to the Oak Ridges Moraine is simple greed to satisfy the lust of a few at the expense of everything else. Nature does not even have a voice. Shame... 

Become informed... the issues need not be complex. Simple right and wrong suffices. It is important to separate political spin from facts and accurate history. 

The Narwhal is a reliable source for  News on Climate Change, Environmental Issues making sense of the key environmental issues in Canada. The Narwhal: https://www.thenarwhal.ca

Also consider: Actions to Fight Bill 23 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil the Forecaster Chadwick