#3029 "Windswept Killbear Pine"

#3029 "Windswept Killbear Pine" 
24 X 20 inches, oils on canvas.
Started at 10:30 am Sunday, July 12th, 2026

I have painted the famous windswept white pine tree at Killbear Provincial Park before. The "flagged pine" on Sunset Point is a signature symbol of Georgian Bay.  It is highly recognizable for its unique lean, shaped by more than a century of strong, prevailing onshore westerly winds. Sometimes we all need to bend with the wind to survive. It is likely the most photographed tree in Ontario, if not Canada. I have my share of photos and paintings of that spot.

This white pine has sadly been rotting from the inside out and can no longer support its own weight. Park officials have installed braces to prop the pine in its hour of need. More importantly, this white pine has been successfully cloned by the Forest Gene Conservation Association to preserve its exact genetic line. At the moment, 30 white pine clones are being nurtured at a facility in Kemptville, Ontario, for future planting in the park.

The Anishinabek called this area Mukwa Nayosh, which translates exactly as "Bear Point". Black Bears traditionally swim from the mainland shores to nearby islands.  An 1866 township map labels the currently identified "Lighthouse Point" as "Kill Bear Point" following a highly publicized event. Apparently, a legendary tale relates that a logging crew had a fatal or dramatic interaction in which a logger killed a bear, or a bear killed a logger, at that specific point on the land. European settlers gradually morphed "Kill Bear Point" into "Killbear Point".  Hmmm... I much prefer "Bear Point". 

Painting #2288 "Parry Island Canine Cove Cabin"

I have painted near black bears in the area. They leave me alone, and I certainly do not bother them. I once got a picture of one nearby while en plein air. The young bear strolled onto the dock where I was painting and then ambled off when he saw me with my paintbrush. That bear was not into posing for a work of art...

My friend Cam provided this inspiration. He knows exactly what I like to paint when I can't get to visit Georgian Bay and paint on location. Thankfully, I know the area well and have many memories from years of exploring that shoreline. 

In late summer of 2017, I was fortunate to be on a tour of Ontario Provincial Parks presenting "Tom Thomson Was a Weatherman". Killbear Provincial Park was one of my favourite stops! 

The summer staff were terrific and very energetic, but the younger generation does not know the Tom Thomson story. Killbear staff actually thought that Tom himself was going to deliver that presentation. I tried to spread the word, but maybe it is time to just move on and accept change.

The windswept white pine is barely discernible in this skyscape composition. The star of the canvas is the tall towers of the cumulonimbus clouds sparked by the lake breeze convergence line just inland from the shore. These towers could easily produce lightning. I think the clouds are really beautiful, albeit potentially life-threatening. 

Tom Thomson and some of the members of the future Group of Seven painted in the Parry Sound area in 1914. 

The goal was to preserve the energy in those clouds and the pines within the brushstrokes on the canvas. 

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

Warmest regards, and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick