#2321 "Right Whale Rock with Cirrus"

Every painting needs a rhyme and a rhythm. There are at least four thousand rocks above the surface of the waters of the Parry Sound Archipelago. That is enough for any rock concert. The spacing of these hunks of granite may look irregular but from a distance there is a pattern. Similarly the words in my title may not rhyme but there is a distinct echo in the trees, the rocky islands and the clouds. These are similar-sounding and similar-looking syllables are placed so they echo one another visually in this series of Georgian Bay paintings. My goal is to capture the essence of the Parry Sound Archipelago without painting every tree, rock and cloud. The success of this mission can be gauged by the response in each individual viewer. Rhyme and rhythm does not have to be audible but just maybe can be visual as well.

The name to name the painting was prompted by a story of two right whale calves spotted off the coast of Florida. The endangered Right Whale is the rarest of all large whales. The shape of the smooth rock also reminded me of a large leviathan or whale. Right whales can weigh up to 100 tons as well as be up to 60 feet long. The name comes from the fact that the early hunters felt that this was the right type of whale to be after even though it was difficult to get these larger whales out of the water. The Right Whale floats when it dies and that made the process much easier for them. Sadly there are only about 400 known North Atlantic right whales in existence, with only 100 of those being females of mating age.

Upon discovering natural riches, it has been the habit of mankind to profiteer and plunder those resources until only about 10 percent remains. At that point the effort and profit margin makes the continued pillaging of those survivors unprofitable. The 10 percent rule and the insatiable greed of mankind is then directed to the next resource. Sadly this has been the experience of innumerable species all around the globe.

On a happier note there was another autumn storm on the way and that story was told by the increasing amounts of warm conveyor belt cirrus in the sky.

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