#2796 "Lac du Pinceau South Basin"

2796 "Lac du Pinceau South Basin"
11x14 oils on Indian Red oil-tinted stretched canvas

I decided to look for a quiet place off to the side of Dumoine Road. The boat launch for Lac du Pinceau was perfect for some midday plein air painting. The swimming was actually great as well. A pair of loons greeted me when I arrived. I did not witness any juvenile loons during my stay on the Dumoine. At least one large leopard frog was hiding in the reeds at the shoreline. A bass would frequently charge into the shallows to see what it might find for lunch. 

I watch the Langmuir Streaks of cloud gradually get thicker. These mid-level streets of cloud were aligned with the easterly winds being drawn into the approaching low-pressure area. Langmuir Streaks require a modestly unstable layer of atmosphere to develop. Adjacent helical circulations interact to create these parallel streets of cloud separated by relative cloud-free lines of descent. The process is similar to snowsqualls in the winter forming over the warm waters of the Great Lakes. Sometimes tufts of grey virga were also suspended from the Langmuir Streaks.

Langmuir Streaks were discovered to explain lines of sargassum
 in the Gulf Stream that stretched for miles along the surface.
The atmospheric ocean of air behaves very similarly. We just happen
to live at the bottom of that particular ocean. 

Some wisps of cumulus fractus were whipping along in the lower-level easterly winds. These fragments of cloud came and went while I painted. The top-lit cumulus were grey little commas that accentuated the weather story that was to develop by late afternoon. 

The setup for the approaching convective event was impressive. Some severe thunderstorms were likely - maybe even a tornado. Meanwhile, the winds were calm at the surface except for the odd downdraft gust which rippled the mirror-like surface. 

The flag at the beautiful cottage on the sandy point was fitfully undecided. Sometimes the Canadian flag would blow with a weak easterly breeze. The odd time the flag would blow from the west when the wind formed a back eddy blowing around the tall pines to the east. Often, the flag just draped down still. 

Later in my week of CPAWS DRAW painting, I discovered that this was "Kenny's Place". I would meet Bob and Kim McDonald who owned the next cottage, "Mack's Shack" to the north. Their generous hospitality during an afternoon of torrential rain would entertain and also inform about the history and roots of the area. In fact, at one time, the boat ramp was owned by Bob's father so they could access their place. Previously, the boat ramp was owned by Dr. D.G. Owens Mayor of Lake Placid N.Y. along with Mack's Shack camp. 

There is a rich and colourful history the be discovered in the Dumoine watershed. Wally Schaber's book "The Last of the Wild Rivers: The Past, Present, and Future of the Rivière du Moine Watershed" is a wonderful and informative read. I would highly recommend it and am happy to call Wally a friend. The story of Dr. D.G. Owens can be found in that book! Also see "Wally Schaber and the Last of the Wild Rivers- Episode 43".

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. 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. There is no time for dithering. 

This is the fourth 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