#2983 "October Sunrise Thunderstorm"

 #2983 "October Sunrise Thunderstorm"
16 x 20 oils on canvas. 
Started 9 am on Sunday, November 2nd, 2025

Distant flashes from a cold frontal October thunderstorm were visible in the night sky, which was still very dark at 6 am. There had been no mention in the forecast, but the lightning was clear. The light was enough to wake me up, so I decided to get up and enjoy the show. It was then that I decided that the unusual sunrise colours and clouds needed to be interpreted in oils. Those rich rose, and golden hues would not last long - just minutes...

I charged right into the oils on these thunderstorms. Paintings #2981 "Singleton October Sunset on Summer" and #2982 "Singleton Sunset on the Ides of October" were not nearly completed and still very wet. But I needed to get these new colours down on a canvas.  I also needed to write down the many memories that flowed while I painted.

Meteorological overview from 6:40 am, Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025

Some very thoughtful people, like physicist Richard Feynman have some very refined techniques they employ to thoroughly learn about a subject. In summary, that approach goes something like the following.

"If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it". 

One can add "paint it" to that quote. The swirl of the brush with the accurate colours I witnessed revealed dynamics and structures that were not immediately obvious. I really got to know those October sunrise thunderstorms during this exercise. My goal was to communicate and share those insights through the textures and colours on the canvas. 

Richard Feynman also believed that “the world is much more interesting than any one discipline.” There is a big difference between knowing the name of something like "thunderstorm" and knowing the dynamics of a "cumulonimbus". That summarized my approach to meteorology in general, but also everything I experienced in nature. Understanding the physics of the structures in a conceptual model allows you to use that knowledge more broadly on another convective day. The process of immersing oneself in the environment allows one to sense and really appreciate what reality is, and maybe become a better plein air painter. 

I always strove to become a better teacher, too, even if that was not in my job description.  The goal was to learn about the heart and soul of science and the planet. So much so that I might be able to translate the complicated jargon and math of textbooks into simpler conceptual models that anyone with an interest might easily understand. This process takes much longer, but the effort is worthwhile.

One needs to quietly reflect to reach into those depths. The late sixties atmosphere in high school at the Brockville Collegiate and Vocational School, BCIVS, provided the luxury of time to do just that. BCIVS was a terrific opportunity to absorb knowledge and to participate in music and sports. I loved learning and excelled. 

The next opportunity for such reflection came during night shifts at the various weather centres across Canada, where I worked as a meteorologist. "Eureka" moments would often come after such contemplation. Thoughtful examination of the reality of hand-plotted weather maps and hard-copy satellite imagery was essential. The atmosphere could be understood and brought to life through imaginative mental conceptual models. I shared everything with my coworkers, and sometimes I was successful in lighting that flame in others. Good times. 

Thankfully, teaching and creating learning materials officially entered my job description after a 2004 competition and the ultimate educational opportunity at COMET in Boulder, Colorado. 

It was an absolutely wonderful and productive final decade for my official meteorological career - real science and service in the company of passionate professionals. Imagine creating 3D water vapour imagery and immersive virtual reality conceptual models that one could walk through! Many of my midnight-shift eureka moments were finally published, and I am blogging the rest as time permits. 

Richard Phillips Feynman 1918-1988

So there is the story of some unforecast, nocturnal cold frontal October thunderstorms and my simple philosophical foundation for a happy life. 

• Be voraciously curious, 
• Never stop learning,
• Remain passionately empathetically helpful,
• Surrounding yourself and family at all times with nature,
• Stand up strong and be counted for what is obviously right.
• Remain respectful, but always be cautiously skeptical of authority. Power can corrupt. 

Richard Feynman did all of these things and would be a wonderful role model for any generation. Feynman's quote to the right is intended with a positive slant to encourage the cultivation of the arts so that we might all better understand. The arts need to return to the educational system...

To be clear, the science that Richard Feynman exemplifies is under attack... and not just in the United States. Corporations profiting from fossil fuels are still very much in control. There has been no abatement of the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. 

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