#2805 "Grande Chute Swimming Honey Hole"

#2805 "Grande Chute Swimming Honey Hole"
5x7 inches canvas panel using oils

My favourite swimming hole at Grande Chute was in the dark pool just upstream from the little rapids included at the bottom third of this painting. 

That pool can only be accessed by climbing down a ravine from the western shore of the Chute. Once there, several large boulders provide almost comfortable private resting places. The swimming is great provided you do not venture out into the strong current. It is best to tie a rope to a tree. I swam there several times. 

Wally Schaber and co-workers Peter and Maggie gave an excellent tour of the new and improved Dumoine facilities and trail. The many developments completed during the COVID years were remarkable. The history of the area is fascinating and Wally wrote "The Last of the Wild Rivers: The Past, Present, and Future of the Rivière du Moine Watershed". Wally's book is a must-read and hopefully, your library can get you a copy. 

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 number thirteen 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