#0517 "Cat of Many Colours"

#0517 "Cat of Many Colours" 
20x16 oils on canvas from 2001

Tobey, the barn cat that came with the abandoned and derelict farm was relaxing on a stump.  I had placed that perch beside the north wall of the bank barn on the 12th Concession of King Township. The unique wooden pillar was a gift from a good friend of mine and a fellow woodworker - Jack. 

It was mid-afternoon and everything was in shadow. Tobey was a calico cat with many colours woven into its fur. It was the last surviving member of the trio of barn cats from 1993 when we bought the farm. The other members were "Patches", Tobey's sister and "Ginger". Patches died mysteriously in the front field in 1995. Ginger died of a badly broken leg in 1999. There are many predators in the forest even just north of Toronto. Tobey was around 15 years old in this image. 

The title is a play on the stage show "Joseph and the Technicolour Dream Coat" featuring the "coat of many colours".

Watershed Farm March 1993 just before the Storm of the Century
but that is another story... 

With a lot of sweat, the abandoned 25 acres were transformed into Watershed Farm and a sanctuary for nature. The front yard drained into the Holland Marsh and the back hills fed spring water into the Humber. We planted trees with the assistance of another wonderful friend George - tens of thousands on our property and his - every spring. I rode the planter on the back of his tractor - better than any roller coaster I ever rode. We had honey bees, heifers, horses, a large garden full of horseradish, and other delicious vegetables. 

The century barn was also home to lots of critters. People often abandoned their unwanted pets on the gravel concession road and they would find warmth, shelter and a free meal in the barn. Wildlife returned to the growing forest that surrounded the century homestead. With climate change, warm climate species like opossums started to call Watershed Farm home as well. 

Watershed Farm summer 2007
The trees in the front field must be large now

Linda and I won a national land stewardship award in 2006, unaware that any such recognition was possible. 

Dave Brackett, President of Wildlife Habitat Canada
presenting the Countryside Canada Stewardship Award
at the National Library in Ottawa

Like this painting, Watershed Farm left our possession many years ago - this is the best image that I have. But we still have the memories. Our friends Jack, George, Golda, Ray and a host of others respected the land and had a depth of character we will never forget. 

The Oak Ridges Moraine remains under attack by governments and developers who are blinded by greed and are unaware of the value of nature, clean water, and natural landscapes. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels.

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick