Airfield, 10×8, acrylic, available at Auburn Gallery

When one thinks of a provincial or national park, one does not think of airfields and logging roads. But these are a reality in many parks in Ontario and across Canada. Algonquin Park is one of the oldest and largest Parks in Ontario and it has a rich past filled with legendary artists such as Ken Danby, Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven. There is a special magic there that draws artists like flies. Maybe it is the fact that we can hear ourselves think and we can feel ourselves as a part of something greater.

As I mentioned in my “Travel Review” in November, I stayed in the only campground in the park that is open year-round, Mew Lake. It is bordered by Lake of Two Rivers on the east side and the abandoned Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound railway bed. Beside the campsites, is a huge open field full of blueberry bushes and grass that, in late September, were a vivid orange, gold and red. This place was an airfield, active in the 1940’s and it was last used in the mid-60’s.

The colours were so intense that it was difficult not to make the painting too ‘technicolor’, especially when the light was directly in front of me. It made the sky a special challenge because even the clouds were backlit.
I have just begun to go back and review some of the beautiful skies and places from my Lake Superior and Algonquin trips in the studio. There will be more of these in the coming weeks. This one is available at Auburn Gallery.