#3041 "September Morn Ancient Red Cedars"

#3041 "September Morn Ancient Red Cedars"
10 X 12 (inches) oil on canvas.
Started September 10th, 2026

I was out early in the morning, standing on the marble of "Point Paradise", exposed to gusty northwest winds. A cold front had passed by an hour earlier, and the skies were clearing. I was there to remember and honour the heroes of 9-11. 

Why paint to remember 9-11, September 11th, 2001? That's a legitimate question. 9-11 represents unimaginable hatred and destruction. Those were very dark days.  But countless examples of hope also emerged. The open doors and generosity of Gander and Canada turned airline passengers from strangers into friends and then family. There is hope. 

In this century, the "Century of Fire", the momentum of climate change will transform Earth into conditions last experienced around 3 million years ago, during the Mid-Pliocene Warm Period. By 2099, or perhaps sooner, global temperatures will average more than 3 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial levels of 1850. Some predictions are even more extreme and dire but very plausible given the news that “Nobody cares about climate anymore".  Several nations are embracing a fossil-fuel-free world.  Canada is not one of those... Green energy and circular economies can make a difference. Still, there is hope. 

Perhaps beauty pageant contestants were right all along. They hoped for things like the following:

• World Peace through international diplomacy 
• Education for All
• Eradication of Hunger and Poverty 
• Distribution of basic human resources like clean water and air
• Universal Healthcare
• Universal Rights of Nature 
• Worldwide action on the Climate Crisis
• Freedom of the Press
• Honest Politicians

This is just a snippet of a very, very long list, but a good place to start. All of those items are well beyond the means of the individual. The last one is mine! The collective will and cooperation of all citizens are required.

Most of us now have the right to vote, but an increasing number of citizens fail to exercise that privilege. When a majority of the above "hopes" fail, as they have, the result is an uneducated, uninformed populace ripe for populist rule. Such "leaders" serve only their interests and those of their friends. The research of Dunning and Kruger describes the creation of "Mount Stupid". 

The threats of Artificial Intelligence are also very real. Democracy fails without intelligent and informed voters. The result must be a version of "1984" or perhaps a "Brave New World". AI could also decide that humans are an unnecessary burden... to be exterminated...

The future is always uncertain, so we must live and work in the present. The Serenity Prayer is a secure place for me to fall back on...

• Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
• Courage to change the things I can, 
• And wisdom to know the difference.

The good people of Gander had the courage and generosity to do everything that they could in the time of great need and compassion. 

Gander International Airport during 9-11

Embracing the past and fearing the future begs another question. Why paint at all? 

Art, science and nature are things I have always had faith in.  Those are things I can maybe comprehend and contribute meaningfully toward. They are positive and can become beacons for hope in the present and for the future. So I paint on... and share everything, endeavouring to do the right thing. 

8 am Thursday September 19th, 2026, the eve of 9-11 on Point Paradise

These twisted red cedars on the marble of Point Paradise continue to thrive in the harsh environment. I have painted them several times. The red cedars are severely stunted by the extreme conditions they survive in - yet they persevere!  Their exact age is unknown, but they must be ancient! Remembering 9-11 felt like another opportune time to preserve them on canvas. 

The oldest known red cedars found in the rainforests of British Columbia are estimated to be between 1,000 and 2,000 years old. The oldest confirmed white cedar on Ontario's Bruce Peninsula started growing in 688 AD, making it roughly 1,338 years old (in 2026). 

Trees can survive where harsh environments protect them from logging and fire (basically people). The Carolinian forest on the eastern shore of Singleton Lake was and remains inaccessible. It has never been logged, and I still plant new trees every year. 

So I paint out of respect for the greatest generation who sacrificed much in the past to provide this opportunity in the present. I didn't want to waste the chance to paint something that might be good, that might brighten another's day or encourage them to think about brighter subjects: trees, the weather, the wind... So while there is still hope, I will still paddle, paint and plant trees ...

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