#0611 "The Fence Line"

#0611 "The Fence Line"
Commercial canvas 16 x 20.
Sketched Tuesday, February 18th, 2003.

Another trip to the old fence line on the north side of Jimmy Coulter's farm. It is almost impossible to keep those fence posts and "T-Rails" vertical. Schomberg clay is always on the move, especially when it gets stuck to your boots and adds ten pounds to each foot. I may be exaggerating just a bit, but the clay can slow you down when there is a job to do. The glacially slow seepage of the heavy soil creeping downhill caused the fencing to tip over where the slope was most noticeable. I paint what I see...

It was an overcast day, and initially the sky was darker than the snow as in my painting. This changed as the afternoon progressed, but it is important to not chase the light. It was much milder with the temperature around minus 2. Once again, the area was marked by lots of tracks even though there had been a fresh snowfall of 8 centimetres or so in the morning. The Chesapeake added a lot of paw prints as well.

My philosophy to plein air gear is to keep it simple. This applies to everything, including the easel, the colours and the brushes. I use one of several wooden palettes constructed from reclaimed plywood and a steel field easel.  A Richeson Italian Steel Tripod Easel will last a lifetime as opposed to the cheaper knock-offs, which break when you least appreciate it. Yes, I have foolishly bought "bargains" and paid the price later. Brushes and paints all fit into a small backpack. I use the snow to hold my brushes. The goal is to just surround yourself with inspiration and not stuff. Bending down to change brushes can be considered an exercise. 

The family Chesapeake stayed with me all afternoon and busied herself by chasing the mice through the snow and grasses. She would take large bites of grass and snow and shake the blazes out of it. I don't think she caught anything. I loved her and that place. I am grateful that I snapped this image on my film camera to capture the memory. 

This is the fourth of the fence line "trilogy". I guess you can call it a "quad". I won't go back again, at least until the weather changes. 

This painting can be found somewhere in Toronto. A patron liked that fence line as much as I did. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint Collection. Thank you for reading, and stay well!

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick