“Sunrise on the Killbear Jumping Rocks” 16 (height) x 20 (width) inches
A summer storm was on the way but Tuesday August 24th, 2021 still provided a brilliant sunrise. The cirrus cloud of the leading edge of the warm conveyor belt was certainly approaching from the south. The stands of cirrus were being stretched in the associated deforming circulation. Gravity waves revealed the overall stability of the atmosphere with the warm air aloft. The winds were light at the surface. It would have been a beautiful day on the waters of Georgian Bay off the Parry Sound and Killbear shores. The morning’s sunrise at Killbear Jumping Rocks (Harold’s Point) looking eastward toward the rising sun just as it crested the deformation zone of the warm conveyor belt. The point was backlit and in strong shadows.
“Paradise” 16×20 (inches)
The canoe is a miracle! Nothing is quite so versatile, resilient and dependable. The canoe allowed early explorers to follow the many water courses and investigate the wonders and riches of Algonquin. The same canoe allows modern day trippers to do the same albeit they are likely in search of something quite different. Peace and solitude were the norm in the 1800’s but are rare commodities now. Our canoes are pictured on the Shoal Lake side of the Bass Lake to Shoal Lake portage. We were out on a 5-day trip and we wanted to spend the day on Shoal Lake. We have caught large pike in the shallow water on the southeast end of Shoal and there is one spot that yields a lot of chunky bass. We let almost everything go except for a fish or two for a shore lunch. These canoe trips are the highlight of the year. Some people notice the “hand of God” in this painting. It actually was intentional when I saw it in the rocks and colours. It’s a beautiful place! The end of this particular portage is one of my favourite places – not just because it’s the end of an 810 metre Canadian Shield trek. The colours of shallow water morph into those of vegetation. The colours conceal where the land ends and the channel to Shoal Lake begins. This is part of the Restoule Provincial Park and the Restoule Upper French Canoe Routes.
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In Phil’s words:
“I paint outside – nothing between my eyes and the inspiration. That special connectivity gets into the pigments and you realize that we are all stewards of the land, privileged to appreciate its beauty during our lifetime but responsible for leaving it better off for the future and all inhabitants… A man of many hats, Phil was born and raised along the St. Lawrence and trained at Queens University as a nuclear physicist. He has worked for Environment Canada as a meteorologist since 1976 specializing in severe weather. He has farmed, raised bees, written weather and nature books and articles, lectured and instructed classes, seminars and presentations in art, meteorology and the science of Tom Thomson. An avid canoeist, birder and naturalist, Phil paints mostly ‘en plein air’ allowing his passion for life and the environment shine through the canvas. He started painting in 1967 and never stopped.”
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