#2793 "Foggy Morning on the Dumoine Road"

#2793 "Foggy Morning on the Dumoine Road"
11x14 inches oils on stretched canvas

I was standing on the edge of the Dumoine Road that leads to the Grande Chute by 7 am Thursday, August 3rd on the first morning of CPAWS Dumoine DRAW 2023. 

I was looking northwest towards the outflow of a quiet pond. Nobody was around. A few oil trucks were headed inland but they slowed down, smiled and waved at the unusual person standing on the edge of the road with a brush in his hand. Odd indeed!

The thick fog was lifting rapidly under the August sun. It would be a hot day with potentially severe thunderstorms by evening. 

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canada's pre-eminent, national community-based voice for public wilderness protection. The Ottawa Valley Chapter of CPAWS (CPAWS-OV) works to protect public lands in the Ottawa River Watershed of Quebec and Ontario – an area twice the size of the province of New Brunswick. Established in 1969 when a group of concerned citizens learned about major development plans for Gatineau Park, the Chapter has since become involved in many issues of wilderness protection in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.

CPAWS-Ottawa Valley has hosted DRAW Retreat for Artists since 2017. DRAW is a clever acronym for Dumoine River Art for Wilderness. I have attended every year except during COVID. There is no better cause and the goals are admirable and ones that I deeply share. The goal is ultimately to make a lasting difference like A.Y Jackson and the Ontario Society of Artists did in the case of Killarney Provincial Park. The impacts of climate change are already being felt and there is no time for dithering. 

CPAWS Ottawa Valley Mission envisages a healthy ecosphere where people experience and respect natural ecosystems. We will achieve this by: 

• 
  protecting Canada's wild ecosystems in parks, wilderness and similar natural areas, preserving the full diversity of habitats and their species; 
• promoting awareness and understanding of ecological principles and the inherent values of wilderness through education, appreciation and experience; 
• encouraging individual action to accomplish these goals; 
• working co-operatively with government, First Nations, business, other organizations and individuals in a consensus-seeking manner, wherever possible. CPAWS Ottawa Valley believes that by ensuring the health of the parts, we ensure the health of the whole, which is our health too.

This is the second of twenty-seven paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2023. It was a wonderful experience with a terrific group of people. https://cpaws-ov-vo.org/draw-retreat-artists/ A portion of sales from this endeavour will go to support CPWAS and keep the wild in the wilderness.  

For this and much more art, click on Pixels. To go to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Collection on  Fine Art America, click here. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick