#2799 "Dumoine Pine Multi-story Apartment Building"

#2799 "Dumoine Pine Multi-story Apartment Building"
10x8 oils on rough masonite panel

I was just packing up after completing #2798 "Dumoine Wetland Thunderstorm" when I noticed this shaggy dead pine standing alone just to the south. The thunderstorms had momentarily backed off by tracking to my north so I decided to lay this composition in. Perhaps even finish it before the cumulonimbus regrouped to the west. 

This standing dead pine had seen a lot of bird families in its life and it was still providing homes for goodness knows how many insect eaters  - an avian air force. It might look quite derelict but it was a towering mansion of an apartment building offering great views and a varied menu for its occupants. 

I was able to get it largely done on location before the next line of thunderstorms approached. The rough surface of the masonite panel was not conducive to any detail which is perfect for plein air painting anyway. I leave my reading glasses in the car and squint a lot while painting. The view from slitted eyes only allow the values of the scene to come through. Just the tones that really matter. There is really no need to see any of the unnecessary details. The story can be told in bold strokes with larger brushes. 

The sound of the thunder was getting louder and I was standing in front of a lightning rod. Time to exit. 

On the way back to the camp I drove through wildly swaying trees that draped over Dumoine Road. Heavy rain turned the fine sand into a slippery muck with deep ruts. I was not in a rush and there was no one else on the roads during the violent thunderstorms. 

6:12 pm August 3rd, 2023 showing the pulse 
of energy rippling along the warm front with
a comma shape of severe thunderstorms

Back at the CPAWS Camp the sun had just emerged in the wake of the comma pattern of thunderstorms. The tarps were down and covering some things that should not get wet... all was good except for a birch tree broken at its trunk and showing a rakish lean. 

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 seventh 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