Gilmour Island

This is number eighteen in the Canoe Lake Paddle as numbered along the path of the paddle. I paddled back to the south see some vistas that I was... more

by Phil Chadwick

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Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

10.000 x 8.000 x 0.250 inches

Title

Gilmour Island

Artist

Phil Chadwick

Medium

Painting - Oil On Panel

Description

This is number eighteen in the Canoe Lake Paddle as numbered along the path of the paddle. I paddled back to the south see some vistas that I was sure to have missed on the first pass. This is looking northward toward the southern end of Gilmour Island. There were at least three structures on the southern point. The boats were still in the water and the doors to the boat houses were open. Someone was still around to enjoy autumn on Canoe Lake. There was probably a telescope watching my every stroke of the paddle. No one else was out of the lake though. Algonquin National Park was "reserved and set apart as a public park and forest reservation, fish and game preserve, health resort and pleasure grounds for the benefit, advantage and enjoyment of the people of the Province of Ontario" in 1893. These lucky people had a front row seat. The park was renamed Algonquin Provincial Park in 1913 after the addition of several neighbouring townships.

With the thick overcast of cloud, the lighting was very soft and grey. I enjoyed the stabs of colour from the water toys scattered around the boat house and the comfortable chairs on the docks. This would be a prime location anytime of the year. According to the lake depth chart, the deepest part of Canoe at about 40 meteres was in the centre of the basin south of Gilmour Island. I ws paddling in 30 metres of water. The swimming would have been terrific.

The feel of the painting is a strong function of the smooth but textured surface, the bold strokes and the aging oils. I was still working with the original palette of paint from several weeks before. Some of the oils were getting gooey. I was just adding new pigments as I needed them. Waste not, want not... I used a lot of paint on this small and very slippery surface. I simply laid the oils in and tried to leave them alone - continued stroking of the paint would turn the oils into mud. I scratched my signature into the wet paint with a tooth-pick.

Uploaded

January 21st, 2017