#2886 "Dumoine Gravity Waves in the Southern Sky"

#2886 "Dumoine Gravity Waves in the Southern Sky"
Oils on canvas panel 8 X 10 (inches).
Started 8:45 am Friday, August 2nd, 2024
from very near N46.463300 W77.768106. 

Gravity waves filled the sky in the wake of the deformation zone that had passed overhead and into the eastern sky. This skyscape was looking southerly. The deformation zone had crossed the sky in a hurry to be followed by this sea of altocumulus. The orientation of the wave crests was parallel to that deformation zone and perpendicular to the mean flow in the atmosphere. This seemingly simple fact revealed a deeper truth that the impulse of weather was approaching. The flow at cloud level was perpendicular to the gravity waves - westerly.

Some people refer to the "mackerel sky" full of altocumulus clouds as a harbinger of a storm. That saying is quite right but it is also important to note the orientation of the deformation zone. If that cloud line in the sky parallels the mean flow and is thus perpendicular to the wave crests of the altocumulus, the storm is actually past and clearing skies are on the western horizon. 

Another group of red canoes paddled by on the western shore of the Dumoine while I painted. I used my trusty toothpick to capture them. Red appeared to be the preferred canoe colour for the trippers. 

The details of the clouds are not obvious in the photo...
but they were there. Honest!

This is number twenty-three of thirty-five paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2024. 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 CPAW and keep the 'wild' in the wilderness. 

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

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick