#2088 "Singleton Sunset Altocumulus"

From May 2018...

The hang back altocumulus cloud from the cold low was still swirling southward across Singleton Lake. The air mass was also becoming increasingly unstable. As a result it was looking more like a summer sunset than a spring sky. The altocumulus clouds can take on a wide range of sunset colours and my goal was to capture those shades in oil without getting too detailed and tight. The next air mass was already on the western horizon. This is an example of the double deformation zone pattern.

I did this very rough panel on the vertical layout to highlight the suspense regarding the unstable atmosphere. Thunderstorms were a possibility in this new approaching air mass. The large thunderstorms over Iowa and to the southwest were clearly evident on the water vapour imagery. Summer was on the way.

#2087 "Sunset Rain Virga"

Now for something different.. but the sky did look like this..

The evening of April 30th 2018 was the first time that we had seen the sun in days. Spring cold lows can be like that. These large swirls in the atmosphere move very slowly in an omega blocked atmosphere. The water vapour imagery tells that tale of two lows with a ridge in between.

Several days of rain had kept the lake levels high at spring flood levels. As the sun set there was a small vertical window where the beam of direct light shone through the virga before setting completely. The lighting and the colours at these moments can be brilliant. My goal was to capture that light in oils. It was not easy but it is always fun to try.

According to the radar the rain was still reaching the ground but I can witness that was not the case. This is typical of radar which must by design sense the precipitation above the ground which is exactly what virga is.

#2086 "Sunset Convective Shelves"

From April 2018...

A convective towering cumulus was approaching Singleton Lake from the west. The dark shelf cloud was evident on the western horizon which gave the cumulus congestus away. The atmosphere is a fluid and what goes down typically goes up. The unstable air mass of the cold low pressure area allowed moist air to ascend until condensation of the contained water vapour resulted in the cold precipitation process. Further condensation and coalescence resulted and precipitation started falling dragging air parcels with it. The rain and these air parcels strike the earth. The rain soaks in but the air parcels spread outward much like the circular waves formed when a drop hits the surface of a pond.

A shelf cloud is formed when the moist air near the ground is lifted by these shock waves. Sometimes new convection develops on these shelf clouds that spread outward from the initial convection. The white area is typically the rainfall portion of the convective cloud.

Notice that I included some of the secondary convective elements on the top of the shelf cloud. The southwesterly winds were stronger aloft so the cloud elements appeared to be drifting from right to left as the precipitation falls into the lighter winds at lower levels.
I was interested in trying to capture the tumultuous circulations in this everyday cloud. The variations in colour and tone are subtle but significant to breathing life into the cloud.

I am still playing with those really rough masonite panels. There are some benefits to the rough texture that really grabs on to the oils. In addition there is no danger in trying to get too detailed. The rough panel is very hard on the brushes though.

#2085 "Dead Pine Island"

From April 2018...

The precipitation band of #2084 "Early Morning Rain" had moved through but a second band was coming. I decided to go for a paddle between these rain bands. It takes a couple of hours to paddle around Singleton Lake.

This is the view looking southeastward toward what I refer to as Pine Island in the southwestern corner of Singleton Lake. I liked the look of the erect dead pine. The other pines were not doing so well either. Everything was fairly dark since the scene was backlit but this suited the colours that I knew I had left on my palette. I highlighted the virga in this painting.

I enjoyed the paddle and got back just as the first large convective rain drops splattered on the sidewalk. It did not really matter if I got wet or not.

I used a lot of very old oils on this very rough panel.

#2084 "Early Morning Rain"

The precipitation foretold by #2083 "Moisture Conveyors" came to pass. Actually the meteorology was more complicated that one would think. There were two streams in the larger scale atmospheric river that were involved in producing the Saturday morning rain. I tried to squeeze in a paddle between each event. I can't explain why as a meteorologist and a fan of Gordon Lightfoot and his music that I have not used this name before.

The first heavy rain event ended around 8 am and produced the early morning rain that brought to mind Gordon Lightfoot's classic song. Here is the story behind that song which first introduced me to his music. I still paint to this music although my playlist has expanded greatly over the years.

Gord wrote the song in 1964 but its began during his stay in Westlake Los Angeles in 1960 where he studied music. While in California Lightfoot would sometimes get homesick. Gordon would go out to the Los Angeles International Airport on rainy days to watch the approaching aircraft. The imagery of the flights taking off into the overcast sky was still vivid with him four years later. He apparently was caring for his 5 month old son and he thought “I’ll put him over here in his crib and I’ll write myself a tune.” This creative song "Early Morning Rain" launched his career. Countless artists recorded this iconic song but the list did not include Frank Sinatra. Apparently old blue eyes was supposed to record the song but complained and threw the lyrics down because there were too many words.

I did a painting instead hopefully not with too many brush strokes. There was a northerly flow at cloud level just as the heavy rain was ending. The water vapour imagery clearly reveals the cyclonic circulation and the associated deformation zone that marked the western edge of the rain band. The clouds displayed a wide range of colours from purple to grey. Some embedded convection was still producing heavy rain off toward Seeley's Bay. The next band of rain was associated with a cooler stream in the atmospheric river.

I decided not to wait before I headed out in the canoe after the early morning rain. I managed to get back just in time before the early afternoon rain... everybody sing! The first canoe based picture shows the next rain band on the western horizon. I had enough time to paddle.

#2083 "Moisture Conveyors"

On April 3rd 2017 the ice was still filling the western basin of Singleton Lake. That ice would not leave the lake until April 10th even though the eastern basin had been ice free since February 25th. It was a very similar day to Friday April 27th, 2018 when I painted the sky. Cirrostratus was coming at us from the west heralding another spring disturbance. The clouds tell the story.

The definition of the noun conveyor is: a person or thing that transports or communicates something. You can think of an atmospheric conveyor belt as a transporter of moisture or maybe a salesperson for clouds. The warm conveyor was spreading increasing amounts of moisture across Singleton Lake. High level cirrocumulus were being replaced by cirrus aligned in gravity waves perpendicular to the winds in the upper atmosphere. Further to the northwest the clouds thickened and the cloud bases gradually lowered. There was nimbostratus far to the northwest. I was out paddling to inspect the remaining ice in the west basin of Singleton Lake but there was lots of time to get that done before the precipitation arrived.

A closer look at the meteorology of the situation reveals that the rotation painted into the cirrus was a vorticity minimum. This means that the col of the associated deformation zone was further to the north which in turn implied that Singleton Lake would not get anything but virga for quite a while. When precipitation did finally arrive it would be in the form of rain. This is what happened and it was all foretold in the clouds.

The graphics below that I constructed for COMET explains how the sense of rotation of the cloud patterns can reveal exactly what portion of the conveyor belt conceptual model is poised to cross your forecast region. The warm front is katabatic downstream from the col in the deformation zone. This means that the warm air is descending above the frontal surface and precipitation must therefore be minimal.

I have painted this scene many times but every day is different. The weather and lighting is certainly unique for each day.

I used a lot of paint on this very rough panel. It was fun.

#0151 "Charissma"

This oil painting was based on the charcoal drawing (#0149) of Charissma Chadwick, my brother's pure bred Chesapeake. It was the opening day of Duck Season 1986. The weather was wet and cold and it was great to be outside. The Chesapeake breed and this dog in particular so enjoy the water and the companionship. She was a loyal member of the family.

I would have painted this in the Under the Basement Stairs Studio of our home at 81 Western Avenue in Schomberg Ontario.

#0238 "Phil-er-Up"

Another Schomberg memory...

The gas pump at the Co-op on Main Street, Schomberg during early winter in November 1989. The price on the pump was still per the gallon. You could buy all kinds of farm supplies from the Main Street Co-op. The Co-op was still very much in business when we moved there in 1985. I bought tools and parts to work on our home from the Co-op. Everything was still sold in bulk by weight. Nothing was in plastic sleeves and over-packaged. I wish I had painted the inside of the store before it transformed into something for the tourists.

From 1990 and the Studio Under the Basement Stairs... I never stopped painting.

#0173 "Behind the Scenes"

From 1988 and the Studio Under the Basement Stairs...

This is the view behind the Co-op on Main Street, Schomberg during the summer of 1987. My son and I were out for a walk and I liked the unusual angle. All kinds of farm supplies were stored behind the Co-op and the Schomberg River that ran along the back of the property. The Co-op was still in the business of farm supplies when we moved there in 1985. I bought tools and parts to work on our home from the Co-op. Everything was still sold in bulk by weight. Nothing was in plastic sleeves and over-packaged. I wish I had painted the inside of the store before it transformed into something for the tourists.

This area was all flooded during Hazel in October 1954. In Schomberg early damage estimates for the community added up to $250,000 (1954 dollars). Damage reported included holes in sidewalks, undermined bridges, flooding along Main Street, a planning mill ripped from its foundation and washouts on a parking lot that dropped cars into a newly-formed sink hole.