Stable Layer

This is another one of my weather observations. There is always something interesting to paint in the sky.

The sky was overcast with calm winds at the surface. Gravity waves in the altocumulus clouds indicated that there was a stable layer in the atmosphere. The winds at that level were certainly westerly. At the same time arcs of lower altocumulus clouds suggested a significant deformation and stretching process in the wind field. There were even a few spits of rain. Even though the skies were dark overcast overhead the clues were still suggesting that nothing much would come of it. There were patches of brightening skies on the western horizon indicating some thinning of the overcast layers. There were no thunderstorms in the offing so I went and got my easel and palette. By the time I was finished a couple of hours later it was a beautiful and sunny evening.

After painting I checked the radar and a band of strong thunderstorms had developed just east of Singleton. This pattern is typical due to the wave structure of the atmosphere. Other bands of thunderstorms would develop ahead of the troughs of these atmospheric short waves as they rippled along the warm front which stretched west to east across the region. Although it was a clear evening when I finished the painting at least a couple more lines of thunderstorms would cross the lake overnight. The stable layer that I painted was the result of the "calming" of the atmosphere after the passage of a trough and ahead of the arrival of a short-wave ridge. This might sound complicated but it is really quite simple - trust me.

Isaiah Tubb's Neighbour

I wanted to illustrate to the participants of the Wilson Street Studio Art Retreat in Prince Edward County that inspiration was everywhere and that you didn't need fancy equipment or exotic locals. Plein air inspiration surrounded us everywhere we went. Bold and sometimes crude strokes are all it takes to catch the fleeting moment.

This is the view across the street from the fine accommodation of Isaiah Tubbs Resort just before we headed for supper. This old brick home was under renovation by a young couple who we got to know over the course of the weekend. The home was once part of the Isaiah Tubb estate.

John Ross Matheson Way

 The “50 Years of Our Flag” Committee coordinated the Street Naming Ceremony on May 13th.  The street in front of the United Counties of Leeds-Grenville Courthouse is now officially “John Ross Matheson Way”.

This is in recognition of the outstanding contributions of Judge Matheson to the region and to Canada. This initiative is to raise awareness of the history and significance of the birth of the Canadian flag and to commemorate the individuals who were instrumental in its inception. This is a key initiative to recognize John Ross Matheson as the Father of the Canadian flag and the City of Brockville as its birthplace. The naming of “John Ross Matheson Way” is one of the legacy projects that will forever link the birth of the flag with the City of Brockville.
John told me that he had been nervous about the event but was very pleased at how smoothly it had flowed. He and his family felt quite honoured.
The weather may have been chilly with cold northwesterly winds and turbulent stratocumulus but the long ranger forecast was right. 

Warm Frontal Rain

Warm frontal rain ... on the way. It rhymes. The early morning gravity waves (#1287) in the layer of moisture above the cold conveyor belt vanished in a matter of minutes. The low cloud departure revealed the approaching cirrostratus wisps riding the upper reaches of the warm conveyor belt approaching from the southwest. I reached for another canvas and this is what resulted. The cirrus wisps to the north appeared to pull toward the northeast. Simultaneously the cirrus wisps to the south pulled toward the southeast. The col or saddle point in the approaching deformation zone was clearly aligned to pass nearby Singleton. The deformation zone is a skin that is the leading edge of the warmer and more moist air originating from the Gulf of Mexico. The darker cloud lower on the horizon were the based of the altostratus cloud which would be followed by even darker nimbostratus and rain. The sky is never boring to record in pigment! It started to rain at 2:30 pm local time.

The sounds of spring kept me company. There were a few biting insects but nothing too bad to drive me inside. My Avian Air Force protected me - the tree swallows were buzzing my easel like they were on strafing runs. I think one flew between my legs but it happened so fast that I wasn't certain. I was busy painting.

Oils on light cobalt/ultramarine blue oil tinted foundation on commercial canvas. - 8 X 10 (inches)

Conveyor Waves

It was a chilly morning to paint. A cold easterly wind of dry air was being drawn into the low pressure centre approaching from the southwest. Meteorologists call this the cold conveyor belt inflow part of the storm. If this flow actually produces an easterly wind at the surface, one knows that the lift and probably the precipitation in the real atmosphere will be enhanced. The combination of the earth frame easterly winds and the motion of the low toward the east (earth-frame again) increase the atmosphere relative collision of air mass flows which produce enhanced vertical lift and thus precipitation.

These gravity waves were at the top of the planetary boundary layer adjacent to the earth. After a night of ground layer cooling the top of this layer was relatively warm and thus pretty stable. Any wind blowing within the boundary layer causes the stable layer to "wave" just like the surface of a lake. These gravity wave clouds are very interesting but with continued daytime heating they quickly disappeared just as I was painting the water surfaces. One of my plein air strategies is to paint the transient subject matter first and leave the content that isn't going to go anywhere until last.
A lone turkey vulture soared the skies while a wild turkey picked bugs in the lawn. The birds, bugs and bull frogs played the sounds of spring. The tree swallows were busy picking off bugs within my reach. A Canada goose sat on the marble point apparently oblivious to my presence.

It occurred to me that the best painters might not know where they are going until they get there and even then they aren't sure... who cares? History will decide if of course history cares...

I actively tried to keep my colours clean with minimal secondary strokes. The joys of plein air painting include picking subjects that interest only you and recording them solely for yourself. The weather does control the plein air painter and I needed to get this completed before the rain heralded by the cold conveyor belt arrived - no problem... it started to rain at 2:30 om local.

Rock from the Dock

I needed to step away from the flag painting for a little bit... I was starting to dab and that is normally a sure sign that the painting is either completed or I am running out of ideas. It is dangerous to over-work a painting and the result of doing so is seldom good. I picked up my plein air kit and stopped on the dock looking out across Jim Day Rapids and toward my favourite slab of granite. It was 9:30 am and I finished before noon. The sun was really strong and I was starting to burn. The changing light and the strong May sun are both good reasons to concentrate on colour and structure and to forget the details.

Blue is the "Glue"

The blue colour that was selected to set off the flag and the all important lettering is the “glue” that holds the 50 Years of Our Flag Painting together. Blue is not one of the official colours of Canada.  The red and white used on the maple leaf flag were given to Canada in 1921 by King George V as the official colours. This shade of blue is most attractive with Canada’s colours but more importantly it allowed me to seamlessly flow the lettering background into the skies, the water, the snow and even the rocks of the supporting Canadian scenes that make up the fabric of our culture and heritage. It is a unifying colour and the selection of this pigment was certainly not by chance. Note that it is not the same blue as used in Pearson’s Pennant… but that is another story.

A good friend and great artist Aleta Karstad was viewing the final draft of the painting (shown) as approved by John Ross Matheson and Bob Harper and made the following observation: “I think the edge of the pale blue background to the lettering is too abrupt. It makes a rectangle right in the middle of the painting.” Aleta offered some other excellent suggestions as well.
I couldn’t have agreed more with Aleta and in turning the draft into the final painting I have been grappling with these artistic issues on a daily basis. We had come to the same artistic destination separately. It is reassuring that other artists feel the same way as I did when I first started applying pigment to canvas six months ago. As I continue to paint and approach the completion of the artwork I also continue to improve on these solutions – thanks Aleta!

Chapter V. A CANADIAN FLAG FOR CANADA

50 Years of Our Flag has been granted the permission to reproduce Chapter V, "A CANADIAN FLAG FOR CANADA" as part of the educational portion of the project. Alistair B. Fraser completed “The Flags of Canada” in 1998 and guess who wrote the Foreword – John Ross Matheson. “The Flags of Canada” is a great read. http://www.fraser.cc/FlagsCan/ 

If one just “surfs the wave” you often miss what lies underneath. The 50 Years of Our Flag has given the committee members the opportunity to discover the interconnections that may be under the surface but give the project a deeper meaning and mission.

“Under the surface of the 50 Years of Our Flag you will find many more connections that interweave to strengthen the fabric of our project and goals as we work toward February 15th, 2015. The stories of Ontario Judge Austin Chadwick and his nephew Edward M. Chadwick fuse with all of the others that merged their talents to achieve the Canadian Flag in 1965. A phrase from John Ross Matheson’s Foreword to “The Flags of Canada” sums it up:

“For a variety of compelling reasons the mid-sixties was a time when it was imperative to put Canada's symbolic house in order. Could such be achieved in harmony with the past, without disturbance to any part of the Canadian heritage? It has been opined that the mark of a good action is that it withstand the demanding test of history and appear inevitable in retrospect.”

Looking back almost 50 years later it would appear inevitable that the Canadian Flag evolved as it did. Just before Christmas 1964 the future was not nearly so clear!

Prince Edward County Art Retreat, Thursday May 16 to Sunday May 19

I am told by Keith Thirgood of the Wilson Street Studio that there are still spots available in the “3 days in Prince Edward County with Phil Chadwick:  May 16 to 19, 2013”.  This is from the Wilson Street Studio website:

“Your experience begins Thursday after dinner with an orientation session where Phil becomes familiar with your goals and aspirations.

Friday at 9 am we head straight to the first location where you get down to painting right away, taking advantage of the morning light. At noon, a demo by Phil; then we carry on painting till the end of the afternoon. Phil is there for you all day as mentor and coach while you capture the fantastic scenery of Prince Edward County.

Depending upon the weather, and group consensus, we can concentrate on landscape or include a trip to one of the local villages to paint their historic sights, the choice is yours.

Saturday we begin the day with painting a new location in the morning, a demo at noon, followed by more individual painting with Phil mentoring you every step of the way. Sunday we start again at 9 and paint until lunch where Phil gives us a final demo. Some of us stick around for a few hours more, while others head home.”

 

If you like the sounds of this… come on down and have some fun!

 

 

http://www.wilsonstreetstudios.com/prince-edward-county-retreat.html

http://www.wilsonstreetstudios.com/prince-edward-county-retreat.html