#1792 "Thomson Shack Cumulus"

#1792 "Thomson Shack Cumulus"
8x10 oils on smooth panel

I spent the day painting at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The air mass was very unstable. The cumulus clouds were billowing up as early as 10 am. There was heat and moisture in the low levels of the atmosphere - lots of energy to spend on those upwardly mobile billows. 

After painting #1791 "Circle of Friends" I simply painted from beside the car overlooking Tom Thomson's Shack. It was certainly not my typical plein air habitat but it would have to do. Thunderstorms were certain to develop. 

Tom would have been the first member of the Group of Eight had he survived until 1920 when the Group was formed. I thought that it was only appropriate that I did something "Tomish" on the 50th anniversary of the opening of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The weather never let me down before so I slashed in the cumulus clouds billowing up over his relocated shack just to the east of where I stood. The panel was smooth and slippery and I used a lot of paint. It was intended to be a sketch waiting for the afternoon sun to better illuminate the General Store which I had planned to be my main effort for the day. 

Tom Thomson's Shack as moved to the McMichael

The clues in the atmosphere for the late afternoon thunderstorms were abundant. The blustery westerly winds accompanied the development of the cumulus. Otherwise, the sky was clear allowing abundant daytime heating to fuel the atmosphere. I always counted on the July sun to create severe pulse-type convection. These storms would also have some cyclonic vertical wind shear so I expected them to be a bit more significant than mere pulse events. I would have to keep an eye to the north when I painted the General Store during the afternoon hours. 

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Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick