#3045 "Maple Island Reflections"

#3045 "Maple Island Reflections"   
8 X 10 oil on canvas.
Started September 11th, 2026.

There was a single maple tree growing out of a cleft in the marble rock. That tree qualified this piece of real estate as an island. To count as an island in the Thousand Islands region, a piece of land must stay above water year-round and support at least one living tree.

The official Thousand Islands Island Criteria sound very precise! 

• Water level: The land must remain visible and above water 365 days a year (year-round).Size: It must have a minimum area of at least one square foot (0.093 square meters).
• Vegetation: It must support at least one living tree (some local descriptions or sources note two trees or shrubs, but the core rule requires continuous plant/tree life). Once it qualifies, it keeps its status even if the tree eventually dies. 

These local rules help authorities officially count the archipelago at 1,864 distinct islands along the St. Lawrence River. I paddled many of them as a kid in the 1960s and 70s. 

Another source defines an island as "a naturally formed piece of land completely surrounded by water that stays above water at high tide." 

There are no appreciable tides on Singleton Lake! This rock can be almost submerged during spring floods, but the maple survives. 

I was standing on aptly named (by me) "Finger Point" on the sheltered eastern shore of Singleton Lake. The name stands out like a shore thumb, even from Google Earth. My friend John Verburg dropped by for a visit while I painted and provided a photo of me out standing on that point. 

Twenty-five years earlier, at about the same time, the skyline of New York City was marred by twin smoke plumes. And the world changed... 

I completed the following three paintings that morning well before noon. I paint until I get tired. Art is work. It takes a lot of energy to get that vitality into the oils and the brushstrokes.

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