#2257 "Dumoine Sand Beach Ledges"

This was the afternoon of Day Two of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) supported DRAW (Dumoine River Art for Wilderness) 2019. We were all eco-artists trying to assist with the awareness of the importance of wilderness in modern society.

The midday sun is very flat for plein air painting. The shadows are short. The sun was hot. It is a very good time for swimming though. We headed down to the sand beach below the Dumoine Ledges. I swam and waited for the afternoon light.

This view is from the shade of some white cedar bows looking northeast up the rapids toward the Dumoine Ledges from the sand beach. The surface was smooth and slippery and I was just striving to capture the moment while being immersed in the elements.

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#2256 "Dumoine Upstream from the Grande Chute"

This was Day Two of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) supported DRAW (Dumoine River Art for Wilderness) 2019. We were all eco-artists trying to assist with the awareness of the importance of wilderness in modern society.

I completed the Dumoine Take out Trilogy by looking upstream from the Grand Chute Portage. There were still no canoeists in sight. The mist was almost gone. A fresh hatch of tiny black flies had arrived with the August sun. They would bury their jaws into your skin. That was the moment when you would first feel them and see the tiny black speck that was inflicting the disproportionate amount of pain. A few black flies landed into the wet paint and just might stay there as a flock of ravens which also flew by while I painted. One black fly remains in the paint. I wanted to instil a lot of motion in this painting and make it fun. Any canoeist would not want follow the flow of the painting and miss this portage take out.

Part of the Draw Sunrise Above Grande Chute Trilogy #2254 "Grande Chute Portage Take Out" , #2255 "Dumoine Goat Island Misty Sunrise" and #2256 "Dumoine Upstream from the Grande Chute".

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https://pixels.com/featured/dumoine-upstream-from-the-grande-chute-phil-chadwick.html

#2255 "Dumoine Goat Island Misty Sunrise"

This was Day Two of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) supported DRAW (Dumoine River Art for Wilderness) 2019.

After completing #2254 "Grande Chute Portage Take Out" I grabbed a smooth panel and painted looking across Goat Island and into the sun. The backlit colours were muted but I was after the quick impression concentrating on the crepuscular rays and the light. Everything in the scene was turbulent and fleeting.

As I painted I glanced upstream and was surprised to see a large pair of ears swimming eastward across the Dumoine channel. The ears morphed into a large and very beautiful cow moose. I paused my frantic brush work to savour the moment. You can't buy memories like this.

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#2254 "Grande Chute Portage Take Out"

This was Day Two of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) supported DRAW (Dumoine River Art for Wilderness) 2019. We were all eco-artists trying to assist with the awareness of the importance of wilderness in modern society.

It was really cold overnight. I had packed only my summer gear but should have included a winter toque as well. I put a shower towel over my head in order to keep warm enough to sleep. We were up by 6:45 am and ready to paint after a sip of coffee and a piece of apple pie as a breakfast dessert. The car thermometer registered plus 8 Celsius. That temperature will feel warm in January but not in early August.

I decided to paint on the west side of the Dumoine just upstream from the Grand Chute. The steam thermals were rising in twisting tongues of vapour off the warm water. Crepuscular rays were piercing the mist and steam devils. The land was dark and strongly backlit. I was striving for simply the impression of the mercurial moments that one experiences while painting en plein air. It is best to simply become immersed with the elements whatever they happen to be.

The painting location was the take out for the Grand Chute Portage. I did not expect to see any canoeists for at least several hours so I would not be in anyone's way. Most trippers plan to reach the Grand Chute in the afternoon in order to enjoy the camping and swimming along this portion of the Dumoine. A large dragonfly buzzed my head around my companion wingman. Perhaps looking for a mate. The dragonfly did not linger long and I was not bothered by any biting insects either.

This view is looking downstream across the Grand Chute Bridge. The end of Goat Island is to the left. The bridge is the dark shape spanning the chute in the centre. The fog was still very thick and the roar of the rapids was in my ears. Mist filled the air. Apparently Goat Island was so named because early settlers thought that they would like some fresh milk. Goats left on the island would quickly learn that there was no way off and the shepherd would know where to find their flock. The herd of goats and the goat milk supply did not last for long though. Apparently wolves in the neighbourhood also liked the goats.

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#2253 "Dumoine Ledges Rocky Pool"

This was the first day of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) supported DRAW (Dumoine River Art for Wilderness) for 2019.

After completing #2252 "Dumoine Chute Below the Ledges" I simply turned around to look more northward upstream across the ledges. The swimming is very rocky in this basin but there is a great potential for a very forceful shower under the waterfall to the left that I painted. The roar of the rapids fills the air with sound and mist. The location was refreshing in many ways. I was bathing in both the Dumoine forest and the Dumoine mist.

I was still standing in the shade of the cedars and munching on blue berries. There were just a few large horse flies doing the biting thanks to Dragonfly Wingman. The horse flies prefer your skin to be wet right after coming in from a swim. After you dry off the horse flies were not even a big problem. Otherwise life is very good.

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#2252 "Dumoine Chute Below the Ledges"

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS http://www.cpaws-ov-vo.org/) supported DRAW (Dumoine River Art for Wilderness) 2019 started on Wednesday July 31st. We were all eco-artists trying to assist with the awareness of the importance of wilderness in modern society. Thursday August 1st was the first day of painting.

The August sun had turned the day really hot. It was time for a midday swim. Mark and I headed down the trail on the west side of the Grand Chute to our favourite swimming holes. The series of rocky ledges mark the Grande Chute at this portion of the Dumoine. The swimming in the first rocky basin is not as nice as the sand beach in the next turn of the Dumoine downstream. The painting among the rocks is fine though. I picked some of the plentiful blue berries as I painted. There were still several heavy steel bars drilled into the Dumoine granite from the days of the lumber mills and log drives.

All of the Dumoine River must flow through this narrow channel. The flow was down to just below the mean for the date. The flow typically peaks in April at about 400 cubic metres per second. This flow was only about 35 cubic metres per second which is still a lot of water. The forest was dark but inviting on the east back of the Dumoine. The area had been thoroughly logged over several times in the past. Nature will regroup and rebuild thought if given the chance. I was bathing in both the water and the forests of the Dumoine.

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#2251 "Dumoine Daisies"

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) supported DRAW (Dumoine River Art for Wilderness) 2019 started on Wednesday July 31st. We were all eco-artists trying to assist with the awareness of the importance of wilderness in modern society. August 1st was the first day of painting.

The August sun was intense and I needed to retreat from the UV glare. I headed into the shadows on the southeast side of the Grand Chute Bridge. A selection of wild flowers in various stages of growth and decay were all I needed. There were some small clusters of purplish blue flowers that I could not identify. Little bugs landed in the paint and occasionally buzzed around my head and were slightly indifferent to my Dragonfly Wingman.
I tried to rescue the bugs and was sometimes successful. For this and much more art, click on Pixels. Thank you.

#2250 "Dumoine Grande Chute Misty Morning"

This was still the first morning of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) supported DRAW (Dumoine River Art for Wilderness) 2019. We were all eco-artists trying to assist with the awareness of the importance of wilderness in modern society.

The mist was still lingering in the Dumoine Valley. I decided to head up on to the Grand Chute bridge to paint. The bridge had been resurfaced with enough thick planks and there was not a big risk of getting one of the big spikes through a tire. There was not much traffic yet although it would certainly increase soon enough in time for the coming long weekend. I have completed several paintings from just about this location but every day is different. It was going to be a blue bird day after the fog and mist were gone. The biting bugs were not a problem thanks largely to my Dragonfly Wingman.

A solemn cathedral of tall forest framed the canyon of the Dumoine reminding me of the nave of a church. Everyday can be a religious experience in the beauty of the wilderness.

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#2249 "Misty Down the Dumoine Chute"

I did not move after painting #2248 "Grande Chute Foggy Sunrise". This time I looked more down the Dumoine channel and into the canyon. It was still foggy and dark in the deeper portions of the valley. The tops of the fog were turning into bright and white cumulus billows.
The sounds, colours and lighting were as turbulent as the current. The best I could hope for was an impression of the tumultuous scene. I used a lot of paint on this smooth and slippery surface.

As has been my custom for a few years, I scratched my name in the wet paint and dotted the "i" with a stab of cadmium red.

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