#2927 "February Red Cedar After the Storm"

#2927 "February Red Cedar After the Storm"
14 X 11 Oils on stretched canvas.
Started at 11:00 am Wednesday, February 19th, 2025

I used a photo taken almost exactly twelve years previous on February 9th, 2013 at 11:30 am. The goal of this painting was to record the colours of the snow layered on the boughs of the red cedar. The other mission was to have fun with the oils on my palette. There was much less snow on the red cedar as compared to a dozen years before. 

The Carolinian forest separates the Singleton Studio from the provincially significant wetland to the north. One can almost see through the naked trees to the marsh beyond. The rest of the Singleton forest can be seen in the distance. I enjoyed how the light played between the tree trunks and the snow surfaces. Snow is not just white!

The red cedar is a vital shrub for wildlife. The snow depth is a minimum under the thick boughs of the red cedar. I always thought that the thick branches were the reason for the snow depth minimum. In "Our Green Heart", Diana Beresford-Kroeger describes the photoactivity of leaf mould to explain the lack of snow under a tree in the winter. Even cedar trees shed shed their scale-like leaves. The weave of branches is also a safe shelter should a hawk or shrike appear. 

The eastern red cedar is a sacred tree for indigenous peoples serving many medicinal purposes. The wood and leaves contain antibacterial compounds, and the leaves, bark and twigs contain analgesic flavonoids. It was used as a tea to relieve coughs, colds, and canker sores. I plant red cedars strategically. They also help the deer get through the rough winter weather. 

 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