#2870 "Dumoine Gravity Waves and Weather"

#2870 "Dumoine Gravity Waves and Weather"
8 (height) X 10 (width) and 3/4 profile (inches) oils on canvas.
Started 10:15 am Tuesday, July 30th, 2024
from very near N46.466711 W77.768236. 

After a brief visit with John and crew over a cup of coffee, I headed out to paint again. This time I employed my canoe easel so that I could get an authentic water-level perspective. 

I paddled to the narrow section of the Dumoine River near the Tripper Campsite that I had painted at sunrise in #2866 "Foggy July Dumoine Sunrise at the Trippers Camp". The campers had packed up and left by the time I stroked my canoe back to near where they had had a blazing campfire the evening before. I had observed that inferno from a distance across the river and privately speculated about the safety of the Dumoine forest... I would paint that fire pit later in the week as #2895 "Dumoine Campsite Deluxe Firepit". The burn pit appeared to be reasonably safe given the size of the cleared area.

I jammed my canoe into the brush along the shoreline and counted on the steady current to keep the canoe pinned against the bank. It was an acceptable plan. Sometimes the current flicked the canoe back into the river and I had to recover my angle of view with the paddle. 

The bluebird sky had been replaced by gravity waves and Langmuir streaks approaching from the southwest. The sky told of the weather ahead. 

It is important to be able to read the clouds. Every atmospheric line and shape has a story to tell. The meteorological textbooks do not delve beyond superficial explanations of these moisture connections if at all. I had spent a lifetime investigating deeper to learn more about the linkages between the cloud clues and the physics of the meteorological forces at work. Some of this can be found in my blogs within "The Art and Science of Phil the Forecaster".

My view was toward the southwest and John's Cabin. The subject was the sky although it occupies only a third of the canvas. I wished to include the cloud signatures that revealed the weather that was fast approaching. The Dumoine was in the warm sector of the system as revealed by the morning fog but a cold frontal system was on its way. 

I was very tired after completing this painting and decided to spend the rest of the day visiting with the new arrivals and swimming. More importantly, I decided to relocate my tent to a safer area with better drainage. Knowing the weather can be advantageous. The weather is my friend. 

The effort of tent relocation encouraged the adoption of the Mexican "heat of the day siesta". Climate change encourages that beneficial midday nap at more northern latitudes! Medical studies continue to affirm the benefits of even a 30-minute snooze. Heart, lungs, and brain function all respond positively without any pills or medication. A short power nap can significantly boost alertness, concentration, and productivity, making nappers more efficient and effective in their daily tasks. Anyway, that's my story and I am sticking to it.

Strong thunderstorms would arrive during the supper hour. About twenty artists had arrived during the afternoon and they were enjoying their first dinner at camp. The meal was delicious but the clouds racing overhead confirmed the story that had been written in the sky earlier in the day. Then I started to hear the thunder - a tone I can still hear even though high-pitched sounds are now lost on my ears. I was surprised that others around the campfire pit did not seem to react or even notice the low rumbles. 

I quietly got up and walked to the end of the canoe dock. The characteristic shelf cloud was on the southwest horizon. I figured we had 30 minutes before the "monsoon" arrived. 

I was part of the dishwashing team that evening. I was drenched to the skin with rain pouring off the metal roof that evening... all of the dishes were thoroughly rinsed. Many gallons of rain-distilled water gushed off the roof. It was quite an experience. The other campers crammed into the cabin while the team washed up after supper.

This is the seventh of thirty-five paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2024. It was a wonderful experience with a terrific group of people. https://cpaws-ov-vo.org/draw-retreat-artists/ A portion of sales from this endeavour will go to support CPAW and keep the 'wild' in the wilderness.  

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Here is the link to the CPAWS DRAW Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick 

#2869 "Dumoine Rapids and Morning Light"

#2869 "Dumoine Rapids and Morning Light" 
8 (height) X 10 (width) and 3/4 profile (inches).
Started 8:00 am Tuesday, July 30th, 2024 
from very near N46.463036 W77.771436 

The fog had lifted by 7:30 am so I paddled back across a mirrored lake and set up my easel on the beach in front of John's Cabin. It was going to be a hot day! I decided to capture every moment before the heat forced me to retreat into the shade. 

A view of my Canoe Easel in the Nova Craft Kevlar Canoe - aligned with my paddle at 
the bow seat. The symmetric Prospector is paddled backwards when I solo canoe.

This is the view looking northeasterly toward the rapids south of the DuMoine Rod and Gun Club. I had set up my pochade box on the sandy beach.  A faint band of cirrostratus was evident on the eastern horizon. That deformation zone and system would continue exiting to the east opening the door for the next bit of weather approaching from the west. The heat and humidity were destined to fuel some late-day thunderstorms. 

I moved the compositional elements around as is typical with plein air works. The subject matter was so far away! Distance can be good in that one can't see or include any distracting details. Pincushion Island was moved into the front-right foreground resulting in an elevated perspective to the rapids. These decisions are all made instantaneously on the fly. Robert Genn (1936-2014), a fine Canadian artist who I corresponded with now and again, once estimated that a plein air artist must make a couple of hundred thousand snap decisions while completing a work. The number might be low. The impacts of those choices can be seen in the brush strokes - for better or worse. 

For me, art has evolved into a way of life - just trying to get better. I hope that the next effort will be a masterpiece but if it isn't, there is always another canvas. Plus, I get to paddle my own canoe... A message I tried to convey with every class I ever taught: "One can't go anywhere new by following someone else". 

This is the sixth of thirty-five paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2024. It was a wonderful experience with a terrific group of people. https://cpaws-ov-vo.org/draw-retreat-artists/ A portion of sales from this endeavour will go to support CPAW and keep the 'wild' in the wilderness.  

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Here is the link to the CPAWS DRAW Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick 

#2868 "Sunrise Forest Screen on the Sheerway Road"

#2868 "Sunrise Forest Screen on the Sheerway Road"
10x8 inches oils on stretched canvas
Started 7:30 am Tuesday, July 30th, 2024
from very near N46.466311 W77.765683. 

The sun was still rising in the eastern sky. I needed to paint from a more level platform so I headed to the top of the hill and the lane leading to the launch for John's Cabin. The morning light filtered through the forest canopy and I thought that just maybe I could make a composition out of that. 

The air temperature was noticeably rising as the fog cleared. It was a bit cooler within the forest. The filtered light was abstract against the backlit pine boughs. The road to Sheerway and the DuMoine Rod and Gun Club stretched across the base of the painting. I had to be careful not to touch the canvas with my brush too much and mix mud. Such are the joys and implications of plein air in oils. 

This is the fifth of thirty-five paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2024. It was a wonderful experience with a terrific group of people. https://cpaws-ov-vo.org/draw-retreat-artists/ A portion of sales from this endeavour will go to support CPAW and keep the 'wild' in the wilderness.  

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Here is the link to the CPAWS DRAW Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick 

#2867 "Dumoine Cabin Across the Foggy Flatwater"

#2867 "Dumoine Cabin Across the Foggy Flatwater"
8x10 oils on stretched canvas started
7 am Tuesday, July 30th, 2024
from very near N46.466358 W77.766306.

The Dumoine was still very quiet after completing #2866 "Foggy July Dumoine Sunrise at the Trippers Camp" so I just turned my gaze toward John's Cabin. John and crew would soon be up and getting ready for the artists expected to arrive that afternoon.

I named the small island to the right "Pincushion" for lack of any knowledge of what monicker might have already been applied. The pines sticking out of the small mound of rock looked a bit like a pin cushion to me although I suspect few people use those items much anymore. 

The fog banks were wafting around the widening of the Dumoine River altering my composition by the minute. Patches of blue sky above foretold the hot and sunny day that was in store when the fog fully lifted. There was a lot of moisture in the air mass and abundant fuel for convection. 

Afternoon and evening thunderstorms would certainly develop. I was on dishwashing duty that evening after the full group of twenty or more artists arrived. The washing station was set up under the lip of the cabin's metal roof. There were no eavestrofs as should be expected on any remote cabin. Water gushed off the roof in sheets of chilly spray thoroughly rinsing the cleaned dishes and us as well. I was soaked but thankfully was still wearing my summer wardrobe of T-shirt and swimming trunks. 

This is the fourth of thirty-five paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2024. It was a wonderful experience with a terrific group of people. https://cpaws-ov-vo.org/draw-retreat-artists/ A portion of sales from this endeavour will go to support CPAW and keep the 'wild' in the wilderness.  

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Here is the link to the CPAWS DRAW Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick 

#2866 "Foggy July Dumoine Sunrise at the Trippers Camp "

#2866 "Foggy July Dumoine Sunrise at the Trippers Camp "
8x10 oils on stretched canvas
Started 6:30 am Tuesday, July 30th, 2024
from very near N46.466339 W77.766261.

I was out in my canoe and paddling before 6 am on Tuesday, July 30th. Some canoe trippers were camping at the lone campsite on the flatwater between the two sets of rapids south of the DuMoine Rod and Gun Club. They were still in bed when I quietly sketched their canoes. I was standing at the water's edge at the base of the steep incline where I had launched Margaritaville (my Kevlar canoe) the previous afternoon. 

The Dumoine was in the warm sector of the weather pattern. The fog had noticeably thickened as I paddled from John's Cabin. The first rays of warmth from the rising sun stir the moist mixture that accumulates near the ground during the gradually lengthening summer nights. The water vapour rapidly condenses on the particulates creating a pea-soup fog in minutes. The light breezes drift these fog banks around causing the visibility and painting conditions to change unpredictably and rapidly. Sometimes the tents were totally obscured. I locked in the colours at a moment when the visibility was better. The trippers were still asleep by the time I finished. 

I had watched them fly fishing the previous evening. I wished that I had kept up that skill. Fly fishing is fun!  They had caught something with a regular spinning rod in the outflow from the upstream rapids the previous evening. They whooped and hollered with joy and possibly surprise. I expect they enjoyed a tasty meal of some kind of fish around the campfire featured in #2895 "Dumoine Campsite Deluxe Firepit".

Four immature golden-eye ducks paddled by to inspect me. I would see them frequently the rest of the week and once they swam with me in the deep water in front of John's Cabin.

This is the third of  thirty-five paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2024. It was a wonderful experience with a terrific group of people. https://cpaws-ov-vo.org/draw-retreat-artists/ A portion of sales from this endeavour will go to support CPAW and keep the 'wild' in the wilderness.  

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Here is the link to the CPAWS DRAW Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick 

#2865 "Road from Lac du Brochet to Sheerway"

#2865 "Road from Lac du Brochet to Sheerway"
10 by 8 inches oils on stretched canvas
2:30 pm Monday July 29th, 2024

I was on my way to CPAWS DRAW 2024. After completing #2864 "Log Jam at Lac du Brochet", I simply turned my gaze to look westerly toward the mid afternoon sun. The road passed through a tunnel in the forest and looked a bit better heading in that direction. 

The screen of trees protected my eyes from the blazing sun. It was going to be hot and humid for a few days at DRAW 2024 until the cold front would arrive later in the week. 

I was interested in the silhouettes of the trees cast across the sandy lane. The shadows were cool while the dusty road baked in the July sun. My DRAW friends passed by on their way to John's Cabin while I painted. I would follow them when the painting was completed and hopefully find the correct turn-off. They promised to put up a sign that I could not miss. Oops... 

After completing "Road from Lac du Brochet to Sheerway", I poked along the rough lane after my friends. It was farther and took longer than I expected. Some of the road was treacherous and then suddenly I broke out into a large open field of manicured lawn - the DuMoine River, Rod & Gun Club. 

I met Gary and his family, realizing that I had passed my destination. They did not know where John's Cabin was either but promised to get me there. Most families seem to have four-wheelers in the Zec Dumoine. Gary hopped on his machine and I followed him. Gary also had GPS on his phone. All of the potential sites for John's Cabin were eliminated except for two possibilities after a couple of passes along the road to Sheerway. Gary even helped me unload my canoe and pointed me in the direction that I needed to paddle. 

Being a meteorologist, I have found that there is always a bright side to every cloud. The missing signpost directed me to the opportunity to meet some terrific people that I would have otherwise never known. The kindness and hospitality of the DuMoine River folks were wonderful! 

I paddled across the Dumoine River to find John's Cabin. Success! Everyone was very busy getting ready for the participants who would arrive the following day. 

This is the second of thirty-five paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2024. It was a wonderful experience with a terrific group of people. https://cpaws-ov-vo.org/draw-retreat-artists/ A portion of sales from this endeavour will go to support CPAW and keep the 'wild' in the wilderness.  

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Here is the link to the CPAWS DRAW Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick 

#2864 "Log Jam at Lac du Brochet"

#2864 "Log Jam at Lac du Brochet"
8x10 inches oils on stretched canvas
1:30 pm Monday July 29th, 2024

I was on my way to CPAWS DRAW 2024. The road to the DuMoine River, Rod & Gun Club and Sheerway was increasingly tortuous even for the Subaru Forester. The vehicle needed to remain in showroom condition. As I was poking my way along and enjoying the rugged scenery, I paused to enjoy the outflow from Lac du Brochet into downstream Lac Verdor. The road crosses the narrow land bridge between the two lakes. The water would eventually connect with the Dumoine River south of the Grand Chute. 

Lac du Brochet means Pike Lake in English. I came to paint and did not have my fishing rod. Nor did I purchase a Quebec fishing licence. It would have been great casting for pike along those shores. By the way, the downstream Lac Verdor means "greenery" in Spanish. The forest was certainly vivid in colour! 

Clouds of deer flies followed the car as I picked the best path along the road between the large rocks and stumps. I was somewhat concerned that the flies would make it almost impossible to get into the creative zone while painting. It was only 1:30 pm and I knew that the organziers of DRAW 2024 were still an hour or two behind me. I decided to give the scene a try with the afternoon light on my back. The sun was actually hot... As it turned out, the biting bugs left me alone enough to paint. 

I was intrigued by the colours of the half submerged logs jammed together at the outlet end of the lake. The colours of the wood changes dramatically at the waters edge. Sometimes waves would certainly wet the entire logs. The angles of the logs and shoreline created a natural zig and zag type composition. The serenity of the still waters was mezmerizing. It was a fun time painting. 

CPAWS-Ottawa Valley has hosted DRAW Retreat for Artists since 2017. DRAW is a clever acronym for Dumoine River Art for Wilderness. I have attended every year except during COVID. There is no better cause. The goals are admirable and ones that I deeply share. The goal is ultimately to make a lasting difference like A.Y Jackson and the Ontario Society of Artists did in the case of Killarney Provincial Park. The impacts of climate change are already being felt. There is no time for dithering. 

This is the  first of  thirty-five paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2024. It was a wonderful experience with a terrific group of people. https://cpaws-ov-vo.org/draw-retreat-artists/ A portion of sales from this endeavour will go to support CPAW and keep the 'wild' in the wilderness.  

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. Here is the link to the CPAWS DRAW Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick 

#2863 "Post-preening Loon"

#2863 "Post-preening Loon"
14x20 inches oils on a smooth panel
mounted on a stretcher frame built by my Dad

Loon behaviour is fascinating and educational. There is always something to learn!

Loons often lift themselves as high in the water as possible and carry out a wing flap. The flapping realigns their feathers and feels good. Kind of like combing your hair. Wing spreading and flapping is most common after preening is complete. The flapping displayed in the painting is a feel-good story about loons that bring so much character to Canadian waters. 

The "penguin dance" is another story. 

A fast-vibrating, tremolo call is sounded when the loon is worried. The tremolo might sound like laughter but if it accompanies the "Penguin Dance", the loon is very stressed. The tremolo and "Penguin Dance" are used when a boat, predator, or intruding loon gets too close. At Singleton we observe that dance too often. As displayed in the following images, the loon rears up in the water with its wings either spread out or clasped against its body and paddles its feet very rapidly if not violently.  If a human is witnessing the "penguin dance" then they are probably the cause of that stress. Please quietly back off to give nature the room that they need and respect nature. 

"Post-preening Loon" is based on another image taken by my friend, John Verburg, a naturalist and terrific photographer. John provides a tremendous source of inspiration for when I choose to paint in the Studio. The Singleton loons have gotten very used to the quiet and respectful way that John photographs these beautiful creatures - reaching out with his very long lens. 

You might notice that southern Ontario is on the southern edge of the breeding area for common loons. With climate change and warming waters, that line is expected to gradually shift northward. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick 

#2862 "Pensive Loon"

#2862 "Pensive Loon"
14x20 inches oils on a smooth panel mounted on
a stretcher frame built by my Dad

The Singleton loon looked to be deeply or seriously thoughtful as it paddled slowly toward the viewer under the overcast and foggy skies. Perhaps I am just reading the pensive expression on its strong beak but it fits with the mood. 

This is another image taken by my friend, John Verburg, a naturalist and terrific photographer. John provides a tremendous source of inspiration for when I decide to paint in the Singleton Studio. The Singleton loons have gotten very accustomed to the quiet and respectful way that John photographs these beautiful creatures. John uses his long lens but sometimes the loons just swim up to his boat, completely calm in his presence.

Ontario adopted the common loon (Gavia immer) as its official bird in 1994. The loon's eerie call is associated with the beauty and solitude of Ontario's wilderness. Like most things political, the effort was more talk than walk.

In 2006 I started working with a good friend to build and maintain floating loon nesting platforms throughout Red Horse and Singleton Lakes. We started with a fleet of more than a half dozen platforms. Over the years, the effort got to be too much. The water-soaked cedar log frames can be very, very heavy.  

By 2016 I was down to looking after a single platform near our home on Singleton Lake. Since 2006 the Singleton loons typically produced two loonets a year. Loonets are often simply referred to as "chicks". Sadly, the Singleton loon nest failed in 2022 and 2023. The news was much better in  June 2024 when two loonets were hatched.

The Ontario downward trend in successful loonets per pair is significant and obvious.

Loons had been struggling on the nearby lakes for the decade before 20026 due to human pressures, predation, acid rain and climate change. A fleet of floating platforms at least fifteen feet from shore was essential to bring the loon back. The water levels controlled by a single hydroelectric dam at Marble Rock can also vary considerably, especially during the spring floods. Shoreline nesting sites were often flooded. Predation of the young is prevalent by skunks, raccoons, foxes, snapping turtles and even large fish. Raccoons appear to be the main predator around Singleton Lake. Floating nesting platforms were the answer to most of these threats. 

The adjacent photo shows the remaining loon platform before nesting materials were added. The "Respect Nesting Loon" sign added in 2023 is anchored about 25 feet from the platform to encourage boaters to give the area a wide berth. Singleton loons are especially afraid of paddlers. 

Public education was another important measure to ensure the loon's survival. Boating pressure has increased significantly on the waterways. My friend John Verburg takes terrific images of nature stressing that creatures require respect and space to survive. The Singleton loons have gotten very used to John and his very long lens. People generally respond positively although close intrusions around the nest still unfortunately occur. 

Adult loons are rarely predated except infrequently by bald eagles. Eagles will also attempt to snatch loonets from the water's surface. The family group of bald eagles on Singleton typically consists of 5 or 6 birds and they belong here as well. 

Male and female Common Loons look alike except that the male is larger than the female - something impossible to discern unless they are together. Young Common Loons look similar to winter adults but have more white on their heads and back. This juvenile plumage is maintained through their first summer. In the non-breeding season (winter), the head and bill are grey, the neck is white, and the back plumage is grey with a scalloped pattern.

They are primarily diving birds who hunt for fish underwater in freshwater lakes and ponds. Their bright red eyes is to aid in their vision underwater. Unlike most birds, loons have solid bones which make them less buoyant. They conserve oxygen underwater by slowing their heartbeat. Loons can also flatten their feathers quickly to become more streamlined.

Loon pairs last, on average, six to seven years. Pairs often change when a loon challenger takes over a territory or a mate doesn't return to the territory after the winter. As the owner of a breeding area, the male loon returns first in early April. The female typically follows within a week. 

Eviction from a breeding area is common in both sexes. The evicted loon moves to a non-territorial space nearby and begins to look for a new territory and mate. A loon whose mate dies or is evicted readily attempts to establish a new pair bond with a replacement bird. Experts call this behaviour serial monogamy.

There are four distinct loon calls: 

• tremolo - The tremolo is an aggressive response given when disturbed by a boater or predator. The tremolo signals distress and may urge loons to move to safety. This wavering call also announces its presence at a lake.
• wail - The wail is perhaps the call most frequently heard. A loon will make this haunting call when it becomes separated from the chick or if its mate fails to return. It indicates a willingness to interact.
• yodel - The yodel is a territorial call given only by male loons. The yodel is also an expression of aggression and is given by the male during a confrontation. The yodel is used in territorial disputes, essentially stating to any loons close by – "This is our territory!" Each male has his own signature yodel. If a male moves to a different territory, he will change his yodel.
• hoot - The hoot symbolizes a call of curiosity and/or happiness. Hoots are soft, short calls given to keep in contact with each other: parents might hoot to a chick, or one mate might hoot to another.

A loon family can eat over a ton of small fish a year. The largest fish they can handle is up to about a pound in weight. 

Sometimes a loon will even catch a substantial northern pike!

Adult loons leave Singleton in late September well before the ice forms. This leaves the lake and the fishery to the youngsters who leave just before the lake ices over. 

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick