#0516 "Window Seat October Morning"

This scene from from early on the morning of October 10th. It was overcast with a north-northeasterly breeze aligning the turbulent stratocumulus along streets parallel to the wind direction. The bands of higher altocumulus were aligned like water waves, perpendicular to the wind direction. These gravity waves are evident in the upper right corner of the image. The colours were summer still except for the reds and ambers of fall. The sun peaked through and illuminated the tops of the closest street of stratocumulus. The surface winds were still calm as we had not hit the convective temperature yet. Thus the reflection is fairly glassy.

This view is from window seat of Watershed Farm looking northwest across the pond, which is actually the source and headwaters of the Humber River. The small pond in the front yard drained to Lake Simcoe through the Holland Marsh.  This is why we called our piece of Paradise Watershed Farm.

I painted looking out the window. The simple things are the best. I do not need the south of France.

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#0459 "Rainy Day Golden Rod"

This was looking out the northwest window of the "Great Room" from the Watershed Farm on the 12th Concession of King Township. It was a very windy and rainy day and I decided to paint from inside. The winds were blustery out of the southwest and the light was wet and diffuse! Goldenrod were blooming everywhere. The wet weather was keeping my honey bees in their hives. Everything was lush and growing though.

The pond in the painting drained to Lake Ontario through the Humber River. The front yard drained to Lake Simcoe through Kennifick Lake on the north side of the Oak Ridges Moraine. These rolling hills were the token from the last ice age and filled the aquifers that fed the hunry cities to the south and the north.

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#0349 "Let's Jitterbug!"

This is from McCrae Lake, near Honey Harbour, Georgian Bay. I was canoeing with my son one afternoon and doing some fishing when these lily pads caught my eye. The water level had risen 3 feet or so and drowned the pads that had been floating on the surface. I liked the way that the water rippled on the surface of the lily pads.

The Jitterbug lure was one of the first lures I ever bought... and I love surface lures. This particular Jitterbug was probably 25 years old at the time. There is nothing quite like the sensation of a bass smashing a surface lure unless it is a 20 pound pike quietly "lipping" on it like a shark and then running for the next county. Almost every fish is released.

The title is a play on the dance craze popularized in the United States in the early 1900s. Apparently Cab Calloway wrote a song titled "Jitter Bug" in 1934. In 1945 the word "jitters" apparently derived from a spoonerism that used 'bin and jitters' for 'gin and bitters' and describes how someone under the influence of gin and bitters is likely to move.

The Jitterbug fishing lure was designed about the same time as the dance. Fred Arbogast originally worked for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company when he began shaping his lures for personal fishing expeditions and those of his family and friends. His lures grew in popularity. Fred quit his day job in 1926 and started his company a few years later. The classic Jitterbug lure first appeared in 1937 and Arbogast patented the design in 1940. It is considered the best topwater lure for night fishing. Many other topwater lures have come and gone but the Jitterbug still remains as a great topwater bait.

I just liked the way the Jitterbug fishing lure skittered across the water but it is nice to know the history.

I just liked the way the Jitterbug fishing lure skittered across the water but it is nice to know the history.

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#0346 "Between a Rock and a Hard Place!"

I was on a canoe trip with my canoe buddy Paul in late July 1991. The summer paddles were a highlight of the year and I booked by holiday time from the Weather Centre early. This particular granite rock face is on the east end of the creek between Shoal Lake and Bass Lake, Restoule Park. This little stretch of water and steep rock cliff is a favourite place. The title twists the common expression a bit. In this case the rock is a pleasant place where I love to canoe. The hard place could either be the unseen rapids or my responsibilities at home and work. Everyone needs to balance their time between The Rock and The Hard Place... thus the title. Linda thought of this title too!

I almost never include myself in any painting. This was an exception. This was also my almost new Nova Craft Kevlar prospector canoe with white ash trim. The canoe had some imperfections from the plant in London but my friends at Nova Craft helped me with the price. We are all a bit imperfect anyway and plus perfection is way over-rated. It paddles well and spins on a dime. The Kevlar brought the weight of the 16 foot canoe down to 48 pounds and it made me feel bullet proof as well.

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#0550 "Swamp Tree"

This is a characteristic tree on the north fence of Watershed Farm at the very crest of the Oak Ridges Moraine looking toward the northwest. The tree has a very odd lean to it over the shallow pond.  I would paint this characteristic tree again in #0577 "The Swamp Tree"  and possibly more canvases

It was a rare October afternoon. The skies cleared nicely after thick morning fog, drizzle and then some heavy rain. The weather was meant to be enjoyed so the family Maine Coon Cat and Chesapeake and I headed out. The Japanese beetles were out in force and many flew into the paint. I let them crawl onto the wood tip of my brush and then I winged them off to safety. There are probably very few oil-painted ladybugs out there but I know where there are some. A few of the little devils bit me and there were even a couple who crawled down my back ... and then bit me!

The Chesapeake forgot to bring a ball this time so she broke off a stick and got me to toss that for her. The Maine Coon prowled the woods pictured in the painting but after an hour or so of that, she was content to bask in the sun on the hillside behind me and watch me paint. Painting can be a family affair.

The hidden mysteries of the bush and the shadows are what intrigued me. The quiet time with family in the forest is always special.

This plein air exercise was before digital cameras so I do not have any in progress images like I can easily do now.

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#0549 "Dixie"

This is a portrait of my Brother's blue tick hound reclining in the back yard during the summer of 2001. I was down to the Rideau and Merrickville as "Phil the Caster" - my "pro-bass" moniker.

Dixie is a great dog and she thinks she a person. My Brother has taught her to answer to "who's your favourite singer". She responds with her best Elvis Presley impersonation of "You Ain't Nothin' but a Hound Dog". The words and music sound a bit like a long howl with a few yips mixed in between. She gets a biscuit as a treat. Elvis made millions. I was three years old when this song came out on Elvis' "Don't Be Cruel Album". I remember dancing to the song. "Hound Dog" has been recorded more than 250 times with the July 1956 version by Elvis by far the greatest hit. The song is ranked number 19 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was written for a woman's voice as she berates the selfish, exploitative man in her life - the classical hound dog. Dixie's version never made the music charts.

Dixie runs nonstop especially at night. She has sprained her legs from this activity and she has to rest up on a blanketed cushion to get better. When I'm in Merrickville, she sleeps with me. My Brother and I love our animals... they are more human and humane than many people.

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#0447 "The Red Green Barn"

This was a distinctive barn on the 6th of Medonte Township in the spring of 1999. I was painting on location with an experienced artist friend of mine. Actually the barn is only a couple of kilometers off Highway 400 but it seemed like it is in another world. The farm traffic slowed to take a look but the only visitor was the red-headed lady of the farm house who came to check that we weren't poaching steelhead or doing something else crazy. The title is obviously based on the colours but it is a bit of a throw-back to the popular handy-man TV show of a similar title - although there was no duct tape in sight.

This was my very first plein air painting from May13th, 1999.

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#2241 "Port Coldwell Hauling Ice"

This painting is based on an old photo of the ice harvesting operations at Port Coldwell. The photo I consulted was from Kathleen Allen of Allen's Store in Port Caldwell. Those and other pictures of Port Coldwell are now in the collection of her daughter Ann Barker. I have been unsuccessful so far at making contact with Ann. Thank you to Stan Johnson the President of the Marathon and District Historical Society for this information.

The home on the right in this painting was that of the Blanchard family when they moved to Port Coldwell 1954. Mr Blanchard (the father of Nancy) later bought the home outright. In later in the years it was sold to Charles Lemkcke which they used as their cottage. The Blanchard family had Mary Lees do a painting of it for their Dad when he retired from C.P.R. This information was courtesy of Nancy Dick Blanchard. Thank you.

Ice harvesting would have arrived with the first settlers. The fishermen needed to keep their catch fresh. There was no other way to keep things cool during the summer months. Lake Superior might be cold but the summer temperatures could still get high. The ice house stored the blocks of ice taken from the lake during the winter. Apparently the fish was kept on ice in another building. The Nicolls set up a market for fresh fish using the railroad as their distribution network. Lake trout and whitefish were served aboard CPR dining cars on the transcontinental route and in many of the finest restaurants in Canada and the US.

Ice blocks typically measured 22 by 32 inches and weighed anywhere between 50 and 300 pounds. Ice harvesting generally involved waiting until approximately a foot of ice had built up on the water surface in the winter. The ice would then be cut with either a handsaw or a powered blade into long continuous strips and then cut into individual blocks for transport to the ice house. They were brought to shore via channels cut in the ice. At Port Coldwell it appeared that the ice blocks were moved up a wooden sluice by hand into the ice house.

The ice could also be placed in waiting railcars by way of a conveyor belt. Sawdust, up to a foot thick, insulated the ice blocks. Up to 40 per cent of the ice could melt would before reaching its destination in spite of the insulation. Rapid shipment to distant markets was vital, so harvesting was limited to locations where railways came alongside the shoreline and afforded easy loading.

This is intended as a partner to #2242 "Port Coldwell Steamer". It is the same size and from the same era of Port Coldwell.

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#2240 "Port Coldwell"

The story of Port Coldwell, the Group of Seven and Dave Sills "Fifty" music album intrigued me so much that I felt inclined to record it both in paint and words. The story needed to be told. Dave Sills is a terrific meteorologist who I worked with at Environment Canada. He is also a singer and songwriter whose Grandmother Agnes was born and raised in Port Coldwell. I wrote in an email to Dave Sills: I am headed into the studio with a Port Coldwell painting in my mind. May I use an image of yours from Flickr Dave? Maybe that old postcard too... Just an idea. I still need to select a canvas.

Here is what Dave wrote after seeing the sketch I completed after Day One on this project: That's really something Phil. Really draws the eye in. I know at least a dozen people that will want a print when it's done! FYI, that's my grandmother's house in the foreground on the left. That little wood structure just in front of it was a swing. Not sure why they had a ladder on the roof. Looks like it was to get to the chimney - maybe for frequent cleaning? Gid and Eileen's house was the one that is just above my grandmother's house in the photo. Please do use whatever imagery you would find useful from my collection! Just an FYI - AY Jackson painted a winter scene very similar to the one in the postcard. See attached (if you want - don't want to spoil your vision). And of course Lawren Harris painted several scenes in Coldwell. Take care, Dave.

The above is the result after a month on the easel. I continued to learn about Port Coldwell. I had never toured the remnants of the village although I passed by on the Trans Canada Highway several times. With the generous assistance of many who also loved the area, the owners of most of the landmarks have been identified. Thank you so much. The post card I consulted was from Kathleen Allen of Allen's Store in Port Coldwell. Those and other pictures of Port Coldwell are now in the collection of her daughter Ann Barker. I have been unsuccessful so far at making contact with Ann. Thank you to Stan Johnson, the President of the Marathon and District Historical Society, for this information.

About Dave's album "Fifty", in Dave's own words: "I had a really good team for the album - lots of pros. Alice is my daughter, Mike is my dad, Ken is my brother - this is a multi-generational recording!

This artwork is based on images from Dave Sills and postcards from Port Coldwell. I used the sky from #2236 "Singleton Sunset Altocumulus". In any case by May 31st I had taken the painting as far as it could go. I take an image of the work after most painting sessions and those are chronicled in the "in Progress" images. My wife was happy to see me doing more structures and fewer skyscapes. I tried my best and after a month I felt it was time to move on. To quote Leonardo Da Vinci however.....”Art is never finished, only abandoned”.

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#0451 "Go For It! - Swiftly"

Bill Swift and an unknown young lady were tackling some very challenging rapids in a Mattawa. Bill was going for it and the blonde had no choice. I tried to capture the shocking contrast in the expressions of the two different people facing the same challenge. Bill was comfortable with the challenge and having fun. His partner was terrified by it all! The photo credit belongs to Henry Georgi who captured this special moment.

As always I wanted to include the Swift name is the title. When you start down a rapid the current will take you swiftly. There is no turning back. You might try to back ferry but good luck with that endeavour in the bubbly water and foam amid all of the rocks. You are better off to just go with the flow.

The painting was based on an excellent photo by Henry Georgi that was used in the Swift Canoe and Kayak Catalogue from the mid 1990's and used as a reference with permission. I may have my share of Swift canoes and kayaks but there is perhaps one more that I need. Swift has continued to innovate the use of modern materials in this quintessential Canadian vehicle.

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