#2068 "Mattawa Outward Bound"

Very wet paint...

This is based on #1788 "Mattawa Morning". Seven modern, white water canoes were following the down-current path of the historical voyageurs in early June 2016. There was lots of water to make the rapids passable. The boulder fields at the low water outlet of the rapids did provide a few obstacles but we made it through unscathed. Two hundred years ago there would have been much more traffic on this water highway. It would have been the only route into the heart of the new land. We were virtually alone in 2016.

It had rained hard the previous night but cold air mass stratocumulus and remnants of fog and stratus were a welcome shield from the blazing sun of the previous few days. My goodness, this was a fun trip that was full of irreplaceable memories. I just had to record it in oil only hoping that some of the feelings would make it into the pigments. Art is more than tone, colour and shapes. You need to get the rhythm and emotion into the brush strokes which is something that the camera has a challenge with.

Started 2 pm Friday February 2nd, 2018 - Ground Hog Day and I did see my shadow. It was sunny outside but the cold northwesterly winds and the resulting windchill countered the effects of the direct radiation. I was looking for a happy memory to enlarge. Perhaps the joy of a small panel can be made raptuorous when turned into something big. I had just set #2067 "Big Joe Mufferaw Pines" aside so I was in the Mattawa groove. I just stumbled across this pleasant memory. It must have ben destined to happen. It certainly was not planned. Cross your fingers and your paddles.

Outward Bound is an organization with the mission to cultivate resilience, leadership, connections and compassion through inspiring and challenging journeys of self-discovery in the natural world. They were active when I was in university and I wish that I had participated in some of their canoe trips. It is never too late.