#1471 "White Canoe"



#1471  "White Canoe"
11 x 14 (inches) oils on canvas.
Started 2:00 pm Monday, September 22nd, 2014.

Science is the search for the truth - at least an ever-improving understanding of what is real. Art is a personal version of that truth from the perspective of a creator. Together, art and science have been a wonderful life full of curiosity and discovery. Being an eternal student makes existence exciting and worthwhile - even though I still do not grasp dark matter, dark energy or even how gravity works. For me, "spooky action at a distance", "spukhafte fernwirkung" in German,  Einstein's famous phrase for quantum entanglement, should also apply to gravity. But I am eager to learn.  

Every painting in my 3000 portfolio is a search for the truth. After some reflection, I thought that #1471 "White Canoe", about halfway along my journey, best summed up the story. That painting was a totally plein air effort in northern Killarney while standing in front of the Whitefish River Cottages. 

I turned around after completing #1470 “Whitefish River Cottages” pictured to the right, and was struck by the white canoe pulled up on the beach. That canoe was on loan to me as I had left "Margaritaville" at home. I had paddled that craft many miles by then, so knew it well. 

The canoe didn’t actually hit me, but I instantly saw my next painting. I liked the curve of the gunwales and the reflections and colours in the water. Just like snow, a white canoe is not white. Over the next hour or so, the paint just flowed, and I tried very hard not to get in its way. I was on the verge of wrecking some of the accidental strokes that really sparkled. I stopped and did not touch the canvas again. It is what it is.

The bright water on the far side of the canoe is due to the sunlight reflecting from the high albedo, white hull. If you paint what you observe, it can never be wrong, even if you may not know the full explanation.

I was blessed to be at the Charlton Lake Camp in Willisville to paint and deliver presentations on climate change and the art and science of Tom Thomson. 

Some old and new friends were also there ... Jim Waddington attended the same high school in Brockville, graduating from BCIVS in 1959.  Jim became a professor of physics at McMaster University, specializing in nuclear physics. Jim even married Sue, his high school sweetheart, as did I. We share much in common. Jim and Sue have a passion for canoeing and art, and wrote the beautiful "In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven". I treasure an autographed copy. 

Artists Mary and Ed Bartram were also at Charlton Lake Camp. Ed Bartram is considered one of Canada's foremost painters and printmakers. We exchanged books on Tower Mountain while hiking. Mary and Ed were planning to study "The Weather of Ontario" while I prize my autographed copy of "Rockscapes". Sadly, Ed would pass away in 2019. 

Jon and Kerry Butler hosted a terrific dinner at their lakeside home and introduced us to some of the local painting places of the Group of Seven. I also painted all around Tower Mountain, Grace, Charlton, and Frood Lakes. The autumn of 2014 was beautiful and inspirational. 

For me, art and science have never been about commerce. The focus was always about learning, making something good and then trying to make that something even better. It is easy to make friends with kindred souls along the way. The days, months, years and decades have passed way too quickly, but there is not much, if anything, I would change, even if I could. The hope is that my best work will be found in the future.

Life is good, and remember, you gotta laugh! 

May health and happiness bless you in 2026. 

For this and much more art, you can proceed straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Thank you for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick