#3017 "Singleton Turbulent Stratocumulus April Sunset"

#3017 "Singleton Turbulent Stratocumulus April Sunset"
20 X 24 (inches). Started Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026

The sunset on Sunday, April 19th, 2026, was simply awesome. It was 7:37 in the evening, and we bathed in the twilight colours amid the ballet of clouds tumbling along in the northwesterly winds. Backlit clouds can appear very different depending on their optical thickness. The cold front had passed through in the morning with a trace of snow. Chilly northwesterly winds heralded the approach of clearing skies associated with the high-pressure area. Those cloud streets of turbulent stratocumulus would set with the sun. 

The cloud streets follow the wind and are not necessarily straight lines, obeying the influences of a varying terrain and somewhat chaotic convection. Other data sources can reveal the finer details. It is not essential to know the science to embrace the sunset, but as a meteorologist, I have always enjoyed digging deeper to appreciate the fundamental truths of nature's light show. The Nighttime Microphysics RGB (lower left) reveals subtle details of upslope and downslope flows. The ENVI (ENhanced VIsible Project of the early 1980s (lower right) was an effort to reveal important information in the sunrise and sunset horizons. Satellite data was very new then, and I realized that the details of the weather could be revealed if one only enhanced the raw signal to witness them. I got a lot of "push-back". 

3D Water Vapour (WV) imagery mentioned in the following graphic was my dream since I first used water vapour imagery to solve operational forecast challenges in the mid 1980s. I could "see" the meteorological processes at work on the grainy, flat, black and white satellite imagery, but had to do a lot of hand waving to explain the patterns to others. Not everyone believed me... Others did not even care. 

With WV imagery, cold water vapour surfaces are very icy and high in the atmosphere. Warm and dry surfaces are very low in the atmosphere. If we could just display the “temperature” of the WV imagery along a vertical axis, we could see three-dimensional shapes that closely approximate the adiabatic (constant energy) surfaces that atmospheric conveyor belts (the weather) prefer to follow. 

I shared these visions with my co-workers at COMET in Boulder, Colorado. It may have taken a couple of hours, but my friends had the tools and in 2011 produced the first 3D WV image ever (graphic to the right). When presented with a challenge, my COMET friends didn’t ask “why” or "how much it might cost". The response was always “why not!” We worked together toward making the product a reality. There were no obstacles – only challenges to overcome. The first 3D WV Animation can be seen here. I officially retired in 2012 and then again in 2020 with COVID. I had continued my research and presentations with COMET and NOMEK (EUMETSAT) until all support from EC completely dried up. In reality, a meteorologist never really retires, as we live in the laboratory 24/7. 

The following graphic describes some of the reasons that this sunset was translated into oils. Pictures can be worth thousands of words and a lot of hand-waving. 

The light can stream through the clouds, making some of those wisps of moisture brilliant and alive with light. Thicker cloud elements can block that light, so they appear dark in their central masses and look foreboding with the approaching night. The dark elements are haloed by the bright light that penetrates through the wispy cloud edges. 

The colours are a mix of blues and purples. I used all of the pigments at my disposal. The challenge of bringing the clouds to life while staying true to the meteorology was worth taking on. 

Meanwhile, the surface of Singleton Lake was streaked by Langmuir streaks shaped by the winds that stirred the sky. The atmospheric ocean is just another fluid, like the waters of the lake and the oils on my palette. 

The brushwork also had to be painterly. The following collage includes a few of the steps on this particular journey. 

Studio paintings can take weeks or even months to complete, in sharp contrast to the fifteen minutes to an hour devoted to plein air impressions. I much prefer to be outside, surrounded by the inspiration, but the comforts and music found in the Studio can be seductive as well. There are no biting bugs in the Studio. I have yet to freeze my hands with the wood stove on. 

In either situation, the painting is another step on my artistic journey. No one knows quite where that trek will lead or when it might end. The goal is to enjoy the ride and always strive for your very best in your own eyes. Every day and every painting is a gift just waiting to be discovered. 

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