#1994 "Lake Breeze Cumulus over Southampton Beach"

This is the fourth demonstration piece for the Southampton Art School's Wind Waves and Weather 2017. We had a full and eager list of participants. A day at the beach is always full of inspiration.

The participants were struggling with clouds. Generally they were trying to be too perfect and precise with a subject that changed in colour, tone and shape by the minute. I wanted to teach them to unwind, relax and not worry about the exactness of any interpretation of the moving target. Typically a similar cloud is waiting in the wings should your immediate subject exit the stage. These cumulus clouds were over the southern portions of Southampton Beach and still moving inland when I observed them. I blocked them in and painted quickly. Art is all about making memories and even though these clouds are long gone, the experience still lives on in the painting.

#1993 "Land Breeze Cumulus over Chantry"

This is the third demonstration piece for the Southampton Art School's Wind Waves and Weather 2017. We had a full and eager list of participants. A day at the beach is always full of inspiration. I was on the beach by 8 am and the families and children arrived by mid morning. Everyone seemed o enjoy sharing the beach with the dozen plein air artists.

The longer August nights and the weak gradient flow of the ridge of high pressure favoured the drainage flows of the land breezes from the heights of the Bruce Peninsula. The land breeze circulation create the bands of cumulus over the warm waters of Lake Huron. As I painted, these cumulus clouds drifted inland on the elevated return circulation aloft. The flip-side lake breeze circulation developed by late morning and tore these cumulus clouds into shreds. The lake breeze cumulus formed inland but some bands of cloud stretched out over the water along what I believe were low level deformation zones formed between the minor pressure centres within the large ridge of high pressure.

#1992 "Life Saving Ready on Chantry Island"

This is the second demonstration piece for the Southampton Art School's Wind Waves and Weather 2017. We had a full and eager list of participants. It was time to end the morning painting session as the light had climbed overhead and was starting into the afternoon sky. I suggested that I do another demo while they ate their lunch.

During the mid 1800’s water traffic on the Great Lakes had substantially increased and the colonial government called for improved navigational tools for the mariners on the Lake Huron. John Brown of Thorold was contracted to build the lighthouse on Chantry Island, as well as 10 other lighthouses to help sailors navigate the Lake. Because of the expense and difficulty of building, only six were completed. The Chantry Island Lighthouse was one of these completed and it was lit on April 1, 1859.

This is the view into the Chantry Boat House and the back end of the life saving boat. This boat would only see service in the nastiest of conditions when life and limb were in peril. It was named the “Royale A” and I am not sure yet just why. In its day though, this boat would have to be ready to roll on a moment’s notice. In fact the rack supporting the boat was mounted on to railway wheels. Gravity would do the work with just a little shove. The light keepers of Chantry Island saved many lives.

A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as "wickies" because of their job trimming the wicks.

Chantry Island is located on Lake Huron, just over a mile southwest of the Saugeen River mouth in Southampton, Ontario. On the island is a majestic Imperial Lighthouse built in the mid 1800’s, as well as the Keeper’s quarters and a boat house. In 1822, during a hydrographic survey, Captain Henry Bayfield of the Royal Navy christened the island and named it after his friend and British sculptor Sir Francis Chantry.

Chantry Island is a glacial moraine and consists of stone above the water and beneath extending a mile north and a mile south of the island. These underwater shoals of massive granite boulders have made this area one of the most treacherous in the Great Lakes. There are over 50 known shipwrecks around the island and there are many accounts from the 1800’s and early – mid 1900’s of these disasters and lost lives.

The island varies in size depending on the level of Lake Huron. Today, with a low lake level Chantry Island is about 68 acres. In 1986 when the water level was at the highest of the century, the island was only about 10 acres, causing trees on the west, north and south sides to drown.

#1991 "Imperial Towers on Chantry"

This is the first demonstration piece for the Southampton Art School's Wind Waves and Weather 2017. We had a full and eager list of participants. The towering cumulus clouds were a happy and accidental juxtaposition with the Imperial Tower in the composition. The altocumulus cloud foretold of some weather on the way.

This is the view into the Chantry Light Keepers House and the Imperial Tower. Chantry Island is located on Lake Huron, just over a mile southwest of the Saugeen River mouth in Southampton, Ontario. On the island is a majestic Imperial Lighthouse built in the mid 1800’s, as well as the Keeper’s quarters and a boat house. In 1822, during a hydrographic survey, Captain Henry Bayfield of the Royal Navy christened the island and named it after his friend and British sculptor Sir Francis Chantry.

Chantry Island is a glacial moraine and consists of stone above the water and beneath extending a mile north and a mile south of the island. These underwater shoals of massive granite boulders have made this area one of the most treacherous in the Great Lakes. There are over 50 known shipwrecks around the island and there are many accounts from the 1800’s and early – mid 1900’s of these disasters and lost lives.

The island varies in size depending on the level of Lake Huron. Today, with a low lake level Chantry Island is about 68 acres. In 1986 when the water level was at the highest of the century, the island was only about 10 acres, causing trees on the west, north and south sides to drown.

During the mid 1800’s water traffic on the Great Lakes had substantially increased and the colonial government called for improved navigational tools for the mariners on the Lake Huron. John Brown of Thorold was contracted to build the lighthouse on Chantry Island, as well as 10 other lighthouses to help sailors navigate the Lake. Because of the expense and difficulty of building, only six were completed. The Chantry Island Lighthouse was one of these completed and it was lit on April 1, 1859.

The lighthouse stands 86 ft. above water level and is 80 ft. high from its base to the light’s center. The lantern room of the lighthouse was fitted with a Fresnel lens built and transported from Paris, France. The first fuel used was sperm whale oil and the first light was a fixed light, not the familiar flashing one. Other fuels used have been colza oil, coal oil, kerosene, acetylene and electricity. Its present-day flashing light is solar powered.

A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as "wickies" because of their job trimming the wicks.

#1990 "Bass Lake Afternoon"

The Plein Air Painters Thousand Islands Region (PAPTIR) started and organized by Robert Hedden were having their August paint out close to Singleton Lake. Although I was just back from the Dumoine Art Camp, I felt I still needed to paint some more. I was still not wearing my reading glasses to paint and I didn't even notice that they were not with me after the Dumoine trip.

I was down to my last panel from my canoe pack. This is a very rough piece of sealed masonite with a thin wash of white tint. I was painting on the coarse and textured side so there was little chance of including too much detail in the final painting even if I had been wearing my glasses. It was perfect for the plein air occasion. I liked the way that the pines of the forest stretched into the sky.

This property is referred to as GleannaLea Refuge and it is indeed a sanctuary. All forms of wildlife share the property unmolested. Three large grey rat snakes live in the renovated barn. I tried not to step on the countless garter and Northern water snakes. There is even a power supply transformer that looks like a large black bear. Dragons and butterflies are also prevalent... it is indeed a paradise sanctuary akin to Claude Monet's garden at Giverny.

#1972 "Entrance to Grande Chute"

Some of the CPAWS artists returned back to the bridge that crossed Grande Chute. Vic, Angela and Lynne were my painting partners.

I stood in the middle of the bridge looking up the inflow of the west channel that fed Grand Chute. This time I wanted to include the black spruce and trees on the island. The palette flipped onto the sand and gravel of the Grande Chute Bridge. Like all things that are sticky on one side, the painted side of the palette landed face down into the sand. The added texture that followed in the remaining paintings was authentic Grande Chute sand. The sand texture added something very earthy to the paintings and was not something you would be likely to find in any studio produced art.

A dark thunderstorm was approaching from the northwest. I painted exactly what I saw. The sky was ominous but I painted on...

Saturday was the 140th Anniversary of Tom Thomson's birth in 1877 in Claremont, Pickering Township about 50 km east of Toronto on Lake Ontario. Tom was the sixth of ten children. Tom was only two months old when the family moved to a farm in Leith, eleven km northeast of Owen Sound. Tom died much too early just shy of his 40th birthday on July 8, 1917. I hope that Tom would have been pleased with my plein air efforts on this special day.

#1989 "Bass Lake Cottage Shore"

The Plein Air Painters Thousand Islands Region (PAPTIR) started and organized by Robert Hedden were having their August paint out close to Singleton Lake. Although I was just back from the Dumoine Art Camp, I felt I still needed to paint some more.

This property is referred to as GleannaLea Refuge and it is indeed a sanctuary. All forms of wildlife share the property unmolested. Three large grey rat snakes live in the renovated barn. I tired not to step on the countless garter and Northern water snakes. There is even a power supply transformer that looks like a bear. Dragons and butterflies are also prevalent...

From the map and Google Earth, one can see that the eastern shore of the west basin of Bass Lake is heavily populated by cottages and boats. This is what I wanted to capture on this small and rough panel. There was little chance of including too much detail in the final painting on the coarse surface even if I had been wearing my glasses.

#1971 "Dumoine White Cedar Bank"

Some of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) artists returned returned back to the eastern end of the bridge that crossed Grande Chute. Vic, Angela and Lynne were my painting partners.

This is the view looking northeast along the edge of the east channel leading into Grande Chute. A large white cedar gripped the granite of this bank and was hanging on for dear life. The many branches of the white cedar sagged toward the current. The current of the Dumoine would eventually undercut that bank and pitch this white cedar into the chute - but for now the tree was clinging to dry land. So this is the late morning, dark east bank of Grande Chute...

Saturday was the 140th Anniversary of Tom Thomson's birth in 1877 in Claremont, Pickering Township about 50 km east of Toronto on Lake Ontario. Tom was the sixth of ten children. Tom was only two months old when the family moved to a farm in Leith, eleven km northeast of Owen Sound. Tom died much too early just shy of his 40th birthday on July 8, 1917. I hope that Tom would have been pleased with my plein air efforts on this special day.

I scratched my name in the wet paint immediately after finishing this plein air painting. If I am in the artistic zone I sometime forget this step. The signature is very subtle but is there in the paint forever when the oils dry. I don't like my signature to get in the way of the art.

CPAWS, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is dedicated to protect the biodiversity of the Ottawa Valley and surrounding areas through legislation and public education. One goal is to connect the Adirondack to Algonquin nature corridor to the wilderness of Quebec. The Dumoine watershed is critical to achieve this mission. Climate change is making such a north-south corridor vital. Wildlife is indeed reacting to global warming and I spoke with a family of Dumoine trappers who caught a very furry possum in 2017 for the first time ever. Possums are marsupials more accustomed to being located much further to the south in Virginia. Apparently possums are able to adapt to colder conditions as well. We spoke of these and other things over the campfire of the first Dumoine River Art Camp sponsored by CPAWS-OV.

#1959 "Morning on the Grande Chute"

Grande Chute on the Dumoine is about 25 kilometres along the access road from Swisha. It is a very impressive series of ledges and falls and is definitely not canoeable. A Class 1 rapid is located at the outlet of Grande Chute. The volume of water surging down the chute in spring is such that all of these features are buried beneath the flood of water.

I painted on the very edge of a rocky outcrop that stretched out above the rapids. My view was looking southwest and downstream along the torrent. My goal was to be quickly honest to all of the tones, textures and colours of Grande Chute. The desire was that the raw energy of the current would find its way into the oils. The sound was deafening. I needed my bug suit on or the whine of the mosquitoes would have been distracting competition to the roar of the rapid. My glasses were packed safely away as I did not wish to see every little detail.

The splash of blue among the trees on the west bank of Grande Chute was really there. It was all that I could see of the tent from a group camping at the Ravine. If I had been wearing my glasses I might have been able to discern some more details but that is undesirable while painting en plein air. They packed up their gear as I painted. I would visit the Ravine and my new favourite swimming hole located there, a couple of days later. The rapids were full of motion and I try to include that kind of energy in my art as well.

Apparently the Grande Chute Bridge was threatened during the floods of 2017. The structure withstood the torrents with the waters rising to within a couple of feet below the bottom of the bridge.

The CPAWS Art Camp is an attempt through creativity to further protect the Dumoine and to enlarge the wildlife corridor. As they say "Art is long, life is short." Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC – AD 65). Perhaps this art will live and inspire longer than any of the artists and make a difference in protecting this watershed and perhaps others as well.

I donated this painting to the OCT 23 CPAWS Soirée – An evening with Robert Bateman and Ian Tamblyn Public · Hosted by CPAWS Ottawa Valley - A Silent Auction of the art produced by the CPAWS Dumoine River Art Camp.