#0304 "Evening, Canoe Lake"

The art of Tom Thomson has inspired generations of painters. Tom once said "I'll stick to painting as long as I can." never knowing the impact of his brush strokes.

His friend A.Y. Jackson said "Not knowing all of the conventions of beauty, he (Tom Thomson) found it all beautiful". Jackson also said that "artists are often excellent businessmen. They have to be. Otherwise the do not remain artists." Some things never change. Fortunately for me, I also found meteorology.

My son was doing a project on Tom Thomson and it is from of his reference books, that I saw "Evening, Canoe Lake". I thought Tom wouldn't mind if I did a miniature quasi-copy. I really like the subject matter and the original was well beyond my reach. This is the partner painting to #305 "The Morning Cloud" and #0306 "Snow". I had reserved other pieces of wood to paint on.

Those words were written in 1991 while I was still painting in the Under the Basement Stairs Studio on Western Avenue in Schomberg and commuting to the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre in Downsview. My drive was from quiet agricultural land into the bumper to bumper bustle of Steeles Avenue and north end Toronto. That drive to work was getting busier and longer and 12 hour shifts were the only answer for survival. It was a good thing that I loved the science and the weather. The shift work also freed up some time for painting.

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