#3002 "Trail into a Red Horse Sunset"

#3002 "Trail into a Red Horse Sunset"
36 X 12 inches, oils on canvas

Ten minutes after observing the inspiration for #3001 "Red Horse Snowy Trails", I encountered another series of tracks leading westward and up toward the edge of a high cliff. These tracks were also very old. Tracks lose their shape and actually spread outward with age. I suspect these were deer and turkey tracks as well. 

The afternoon sun was attempting to shine through the layer of altostratus cloud. Another winter weather system was on the way. That meant more snow and more tracks to observe. 

The cliff was actually where residents used to throw their garbage away - an "Out of Sight and Out of Mind Garbage Dump Site". 

Apparently, the Red Horse Lake Road Site is a historical landfill located in the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands that was closed in 2023 following an inspection by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP). I do not ever recall it being open, but I had heard tales of people launching appliances and trash from the top of the cliff. 

In 2024–2025, the Township undertook studies regarding the potential reclamation or further capping/maintenance of the Red Horse Lake Road Waste Disposal Site (WDS). The cost to reclaim and cap the dump was $135K! MECP has placed orders on the Municipality to comply with the Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECA). As a result, staff intend to include the required funds in the proposed 2026 Capital Budget to proceed with the required reclamation. See "Feasibility Study For Landfill Reclamation at the Historical Big Hill Road and Red Horse Lake Road Waste Disposal Sites.pdf" on the Web.

Even more important, I attempt to fix everything which is way better than recycling. As well, may I suggest a 2024 book, "Power Metal" by Canadian Vince Beiser. 

It describes the "race for resources" that will shape the future. It is an important read in the current consumerist, throw-away society, which is the polar opposite of a sustainable future. I quite enjoyed this eye-opening book that describes the challenges facing life on earth and how it relates to the climate crisis. 

"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" are the three essential components of an environmentally responsible and sustainable future. Natural resources are conserved while minimizing waste sent to "landfills" where stuff is essentially thrown over the cliff and forgotten. This classic mantra of my youth originated with the first Earth Day held on April 22, 1970 in the United States. Earth Day in Canada did not arrive until 1990.

Reducing consumption is the most important step! Reusing and passing functional items along to others is also "green". Recycling can be very challenging, as exposed in "Power Metal". 

The environmental movement also addresses the climate crisis, but faces hypocritical opposition from powerful corporate and political leaders. The economy is based on consumption, the extraction of natural resources and a "throw-away" society, the polar opposites of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle".

"Greenwashing" has become a deceitful big business, complete with shallow, glad-handing politicians and smiling CEOs. Examples abound around the world. "Power Metal" explains the problem in Chapter 10 entitled "New Lives for Old Things". Check out "ifixit" which offers solutions. This initiative has thrived in the face of strong opposition. 

The "Alto | Shaping Canada's Future With a High-Speed Train" project is a timely Canadian example of a very flawed idea promoted as something "green" for the environment. I touched on this potential ecological disaster in early March 2026 with the "High-Speed Rail" blog. A thorough investigation into the extreme corporate and political corruption revealed in this project will require books and the efforts of a team of diligent investigative journalists. Follow the money! The perpetrators need to go to jail. There is nothing environmentally sound about this destructive, unwarranted, unwanted and unneeded project. I wanted to repeat that fact in time for Earth Day 2026 on April 22nd. 

The Google Earth image above shows my location on Red Horse Lake Road, as well as the deep valley just west of the cliff. At one time, people simply threw their "garbage" over the cliff at the tip of the "View" arrow. I have been told that some residents have since "mined" that trash for metals, recyclables and other historic and valuable items. 

Some of the steps in #3002 "Trail into a Red Horse Sunset"... all fun!

#3002 "Trail into a Red Horse Sunset" nearing completion on a cold winter day.

Art can be more than oils on a canvas... there can be much deeper meanings. Sometimes those truths need to be explained. 

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  

#3001 "Red Horse Snowy Trails"

#3001 "Red Horse Snowy Trails" 36 X 12 (inches). Started at 9:30 am Monday, February 23rd, 2026.

It was a beautiful, sunny winter afternoon, and I decided to go for a long stroll along Long Reach Lane and Red Horse Lake Road. 

The spoor was days old, just north of Roddick Lane. Several snowfalls and the effects of the sun and the wind had eroded the defining marks which would have uniquely identified the travellers. I was pretty sure that deer and turkeys had used this same path. "Spoor" is a seldom-used word, which is why I employed it to mean "the track or scent of an animal." Unique titles are needed for the paintings, even though the chronological number is as individual as it gets. 

The shadows of trees snaked eastward across the undulating slope that led upward to the crest of the granite ridge that overlooks Red Horse Lake to the east. 

Red Horse Lake spans 746-acres in Leeds and the Thousand Islands Township. The two basins are deep, up to 122 feet. Red Horse is renowned for its lake trout, although bass and pike are common as well. Such lakes are rare in southern Ontario. 

The lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Lake trout are the largest of the freshwater char. They have been reported to live up to 70 years in some Canadian lakes. Lake trout are also a slow-growing, late-maturing species with generally low reproductive potential. Though potentially long-lived, both males and females, on average, do not reach sexual maturity until six to eight years of age.

Red Horse Lake is actually stocked with lake trout, which is why the fishing season for them is open all year round. Happily, the trout have also been determined to be naturally spawning and reproducing, something they do in autumn each year. 

After winter, trout move to warmer, shallower areas where sunlight increases insect activity. Baitfish follow the insects, and both are enjoyed as a lake trout "smorgasbord". We sometimes see large trout swim upstream through Jim Day Rapids in the spring. The turbulence in the strong current even helps to oxygenate the water. Some trout make it as far as the dam at Lyndhurst (Furnace Falls), but there they are stopped. On occasion, these trout will get stuck in the pools just downstream from Furnace Falls when the spring floods subside. Those trout end up on someone's dinner table. 

As cold-blooded creatures, the lake trout return to the deeper water of Red Horse in the summer, where they can still find their preferred temperature range of 13°C to 16°C (about 58°F). Large schools of trout are often seen on the fish finder, enjoying that layer of temperatures in the deep water of Red Horse Lake. 

#3001 "Red Horse Snowy Trails" nearing completion on a very cold winter day...

I thought of this information as I painted. It is included to help explain why I believe this area is so very unique and special. Why the Frontenac Arch Biosphere was recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere in 2002. 

It seems that everywhere we have lived has been threatened by "development" - simply turning the environment into cash. As if the land is not perfect to start with... Land is viewed as a commodity and something to manipulate. Actually, the exploitation of nature is happening everywhere, ever faster around the globe. By 2030, our current consumption patterns will demand the resources of approximately two Earths to sustain global demand. Clearly, the plundering of nature is not sustainable and urgent action is long overdue. 

Immediate action includes:

• Transition to Renewable Energy: Shifting away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydro power is crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.
• Promote Sustainable Agriculture: Adopting sustainable farming practices that minimize soil erosion, reduce water consumption, and avoid the use of harmful pesticides is essential for preserving food security.
• Improve Resource Efficiency: Reducing waste in production and consumption, promoting recycling and reuse, and designing products for durability and repair can significantly lower our resource footprint.
• Encourage Sustainable Consumption: Promoting responsible consumption patterns, such as reducing meat consumption, buying local products, and minimizing waste, can help lower our individual ecological footprints.
• Invest in Education and Awareness: Raising awareness about the importance of sustainability and empowering individuals to make informed choices is critical for driving change.

ALTO, also known as the Toronto–Quebec City High-Speed Rail Network, threatens most of the above under the misguided guise of reducing carbon emissions. The estimated cost of up to $120 billion (about $3k for every citizen of Canada) is certainly underestimated to build the high-speed rail system that would effectively slice and block the essential north-south Algonquin-to-Adirondack (A2A) Nature corridor. That cost does not even include the trains or maintenance. Maintaining existing infrastructure is something that has been sorely overlooked. 

The goal of many of those who oppose ALTO is to simply fund and maintain the rails we already have, transforming that system into an affordable High Performance Train system. Transport 2000 had the answers for rail travel back in the 1970s. Rail can indeed be sustainable. There is no need for high speed, especially given the impacts on vital nature corridors (See The A2A Collaborative). The rail system should be twinned, with fares kept economically affordable. There is an urgent need to reduce the number of transports on the highways. We much prefer to travel by train and just relax, enjoying the ride. 

 

The high-speed rail is not expected to be finished until at least 2043, by which time the climate might be 3 degrees Celsius or more warmer than pre-industrial levels. Global warming is accelerating, with the planet heating at a rate of approximately 0.35°C per decade over the past 10 years, nearly double the 0.2°C per decade rate observed between 1970 and 2015. The impacts of those temperatures are beyond human comprehension, as they have never been experienced in this epoch. Please see my blog on the ALTO Project. 

The unsustainable and hypocritical nature of humans cannot be overstated. Humans are simply a naked ape and just another mammal. Not the owner and arrogant bully of all of Earth. The current Sixth mass extinction will effectively end the Holocene Epoch. 

Some of the steps in #3001 "Red Horse Snowy Trails"

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  

#3000 "Barred Owl Forest"

#3000 "Barred Owl Forest" 
16 X 24 (inches).
Started 10:30 am Monday, February 16th, 2026

This is another image taken by my friend, John Verburg, a naturalist and terrific photographer. John provides a tremendous source of inspiration that encourages me to paint within the Singleton Studio when conditions outside are not conducive to plein air. 

Barred owls are favourite companions within the Singleton Sanctuary. I hear them communicate almost every time I head into the woods. This particular composition caught my eye with the interwoven tree branches of the forest and the calm expression displayed by the owl's eyes. John knew this particular owl well. Apparently, the owl also knew John. 

I typically start these portraits with the eyes and the beak. This time, I started with the background. My palette had gotten rather messy with a hodgepodge of oils. Those colours were just what I needed for the tangle of tree branches and the blur of the distant forest. I did tackle the eyes after those colours had been suitably used up and I had scraped my palette clean. 

The eyes of the very calm barred owl simply flowed. They were literally done in minutes, and I never touched them again. The owl stared very patiently back at me as I spent the next couple of weeks putting feathers on it and completing the tangle of branches. 

Owls have more feathers per square inch than most other birds for insulation. I did not count those strokes, but apparently, a Barred Owl has approximately 9,600 feathers. Those feathers provide dense, insulating plumage required for their non-migratory lifestyle and nocturnal hunting. Almost half of those feathers are concentrated on the head and neck. There are no feathers on the underside of their feet.

Done like dinner... time to step away from the easel and leave the owl alone. 

I have painted Barred Owls before and probably will again. Here are some earlier efforts. #2837 "January Barred Owl", #2920 "Barred Owl Friend" #2965 "Barred Owl Forest Canopy".

The lichen on the tree is a symbiotic blend of fungus and algae. It is a natural part of the forest and grows very slowly. 

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