#2819 "Dumoine Firepit Kettle"

#2819 "Dumoine Firepit Kettle"
7x5 oils on canvas panel

It was time to enjoy my "trail bar" dinner with the broad side of the barn door finished. The meals had been quite fantastic at DRAW under the leadership and planning of Chef Lyndon. I decided to light a small fire in the fire pit and enjoy the absolute silence of the Dumoine forest. 

I had just two little panels left to paint on and I thought I'd have some fun. This black kettle had been hanging over the firepit all week. 

While painting, I have a Forrest Gump moment when a tiny, feather wafted gently down through the still air to land right in front of me. Life is indeed like a box of chocolates. You never know which one you are going to get. But you decide to be happy and an eternal student of the inspiration of nature and the wonder of the world that surrounds us all. The choice can indeed be yours to savour those moments.

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. 

Done like dinner...

This is number twenty-seven of twenty-eight 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