Algonquin Trip II

We had a special treat provided by Ron M. the owner of the local art shop.  He 4 wheeled us in to the Oxtongue River Rapids.  The morning was misty and heavy overcast.

AY Jackson site on the Oxtongue River Rapids

So, close values, no shadows, not much vibrant colour.  The birches and other trees had a certain Group of 7 mystique.

A bit of foreground colour

I set up here.  A lot of mist but changing fairly quickly.

A Start

I used a pair of complements, alizarin and viridian (cool greys), and Ultramarine and Orange.  The others were deep into it.

John's Perspective

The mist was rising so I had to paint from memory.  Keeping the values close with some foreground clarity, I took this back to the studio.

Wolf Tracks, 16x20, Oil on Canvas on Board

Notice how clear the subject looked in this photo.  The mist and light had changed considerably.  Less mystery.

Studio Touches, Studio Light

Back from Algonquin

We had a great trip to Algonquin.  Ground still snow covered, beginning to rot the ice around the shore of some lakes.  Spring melt in progress.  It was around 4C most days.  We got back before all the flooding and apparently we had better weather than at home in the south.

Oxtongue River Bend

We were told by local artists that this was the site of Tom Thomson's iconic Norther River.  So we had to paint it upon arrival our first day.

Grey Day Version

Here is my effort part way through the session.  John Presseault swears he stood in Tom's very tracks.  

Site Overgrown

Now most of our time in the area was under overcast skies.  Challenging to paint, values close, colours subdued.  How to make this interesting?  Chroma control, subtle greys, interesting composition.  That requires a lot of design and installation of elements.

From this site we hit the Oxtongue Rapids.