#2990 "January Rain at Singleton"

#2990 "January Rain at Singleton"
8x10 inches oils on canvas panel
Started 10:30 am Friday, January 9th, 2026

I had a palette of a mixed bag of colours that needed using. They were left over oils from #2989 "Winter Sanctuary" which was still very wet after spending more than a month on the easel. There was going to be a lull in the rain, so I decided to head to the lee of the Outbuilding. I also had to avoid the sheets of ice melting off the roof. The resultant tumbling, avalanches could be very bad for both my easel and me. I hoped that any accidents would be happy rather than sad with respect to my painting. 

Fifteen minutes into the painting... raindrops becoming more numerous...
Not a great solar day for my panels, but that's OK.

Twenty minutes into the painting...

I wanted to use the leftover colours on my palette and rely on the weather to push me to spontaneous inspiration rather than that of hesitant calculations and precision. The canvas panel got very slippery as the moisture accumulated. In 30 minutes, it was done like dinner, just as it started to rain much harder. The rain washed away the ink of my "painting bar-code". It was time to stop before I got really soaked. The wind was due to increase to near warning criteria in advance of the approaching cold front, so there was no time to waste. 

The painting was looking northeast toward our entrance from Long Reach Lane. I imagined that the solar panels weren't there, but did include the sugar maples that stand proudly behind them. The tall basswood and homestead forest were included with just a few crude brush strokes. That portion of the Singleton forest is so named (by me) as the rocky foundation of the twenty-foot square pioneer cabin can still be found on top of that marble ridge. 

The pioneer's homestead foundation can really only be seen in the winter. Trees have grown up in the last hundred years since it was occupied. The area is so thick with vegetation in the summer that it is hard to see. The foundation is only a short stroll from our home on a high ridge. Our home is also high and dry on a ridge. The area is prone to flooding in the spring. 

I liked how the tractor treads were preserved in the ice like dinosaur tracks. There is really no traffic on our portion of Long Reach Lane - just us and nature. 

My hearing aids had been tuned up the previous day, so I could really hear the winter birds singing. The birds suddenly stopped vocalizing when the heavier rain arrived. 

I wanted to start 2026 with a plein air painting. Surrounded by nature is where I find the greatest inspiration. My art tends to be "out there", defying categorization, the result of a solitary, exploratory journey, just trying to learn and get better in my own eyes. There is no hesitation in those brushstrokes, only happy accidents. The art may not be polished, but the crude brush strokes might be more eloquent. Anyway, that's my desire, and I will stick to that story. 

Life, art and science are not competitions in my small sanctuary. This trio of concepts blend happily into one, exemplifying the search for truth. Life is good surrounded by nature, plus "you gotta laugh" especially in the rain. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. 

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick