#2838 "30 Long Reach Lane"

#2838 "30 Long Reach Lane"
8x10 oils on canvas panel
9:30 am Monday, January 22nd, 2024.

Even though it was a Monday morning, I felt inclined to paint outside. I wanted to paint the stratocumulus skidding across the sky but the wind picked up as expected - but before I wanted it to develop. In addition, a dozen or more trumpeter swans were enjoying the open water of Jim Day Rapids. I did not wish to disturb them. 

Instead, I sought shelter from the wind in the forest. I headed to a protected spot on Long Reach Lane. Even there the wind chill was significant. The sound of the wind was pleasing as it whispered through the firs and hemlocks that towered above me. I had to paint rather quickly with a minimal palette of colours. And before my hands felt the cold. 

The goal was to lay the oils in and leave them alone. The white of the cloudy sky was poking through the foliage of the forest. The snow was packed down by the truck traffic leading into a new home that our neighbour was building at 30 Long Reach Lane (this explains the otherwise obscure title). Tractors leave a distinct tread pattern in the ice. The colour of packed snow and ice is subtly different from that of the fluffier stuff in the forest. 

A beech tree was still hanging on to the leaves from the summer of 2023. There was a sign attached to a tree leading to the building site. It was going to be a gorgeous place to enjoy nature. My friends, the barred owls kept me company. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick