Grande Chute Sunrise 2023

by Phil Chadwick

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Dimensions

11.000 x 14.000 x 0.875 inches

Title

Grande Chute Sunrise 2023

Artist

Phil Chadwick

Medium

Painting - Oil On Canvas

Description

I arrived at the Grand Chute at 7:45 am on Saturday morning August 5th, 2023 - the 146th anniversary of the birth of Tom Thomson in 1877 (also see "Tom Thomson Was A Weatherman"). I focus on Tom's art and the science behind it. I have opinions about how he died but it is much more important to discover how he lived. 

It had been three COVID years since I had last painted at the Grande Chute with CPAWS and I admit to being nostalgic. The roar of the rapids brought back many memories of people and places. 

The road to Grand Chute becomes increasingly bumpier the further one gets away from Swisha and Rapids des Joachims. The others were still back at the camp and would not arrive for a few hours. I saw that they named one of my favourite painting locations as "Poen" - not quite sure what that means yet. 

There was a large, very flat and very dead garter snake on the eastern ramp to the Grand Chute Bridge. It had likely just been innocently sunning itself when it met its tragic end. My friend Maggie had watched a lynx stroll along that shore just a few days before.

The morning fog was just starting to lift when I sketched in my composition. There was a blue sky above. It was going to be a grand day - so to speak. The roar of the Grande Chute was music to my ears. It was good to be back painting from the Grande Chute Bridge. 

The fog and the colours were fleeting. I actually witnessed a lot of purple in that morning light. I could see down to my favourite swimming pool as the fog continued to burn off. 

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 tenth of twenty-eight paintings I completed en plein air at CPAWS DRAW 2023. 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 CPWAS and keep the wild in the wilderness. 

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September 6th, 2023

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