April
2017
Artists’ Profile this month:
Special Treat:
Phil “The Forecaster”
Chadwick
Scroll down-this is a good one!
……………………………………..
From
the Allen Fine Art Studio
Finished!
“Resolution II” 24x24 Oil/Canvas
Recognize it?!
………………………………
An Online WAOW show of art in 2D and 3D
March 1, 2017 to April 30, 2017
………………………………….
Installations
“Solitary” has a good home!
Send us images of your Leslie Allen paintings in your
home: leslie@allenfineart.com
………………………………………………………………………
Artists’ Profile this
month:
Phil “The Forecaster” Chadwick
Phil
“the Forecaster” Chadwick, trained at Queen's University, is a nuclear
physicist, but he found a career
as
a professional meteorologist with Environment Canada in 1976.
But
art has been his passion forever.
Canoeing,
birding and bee keeping round out the passion that Phil has for life and the
environment.
Phil
paints full time now - mainly en Plein air in oils.
Lel: When did we
meet?
Phil: Do I remember
how we met... We have known each other for so long that I forget :>))
Lel: IPAP ~2008? We
painted in RMNP February 2008! (Phil is an Hon. Signature Member of
International Plein Air Painters)
Phil: I see the weather
wasn't nice to you - that is why you need to take a meteorologist wherever you
go…
Lel: LOL It was really
cold! There is a photo of Dave sitting reading and watching us but it is in
a format that won’t open. I note that he was all bundled up too! You sent this
to Jacq (IPAP):
“Leslie just a few hours ago... the weather
was great in Rocky Mountain National Park.... it wasn't nearly as cold as
Leslie makes it look. :>) Like a spring day in Ontario. I just
wore a sweat shirt and I wasn't even sweating. The weather was great. We each
bashed out 3 paintings a piece. I struggled but Leslie produced some fine work.
...and then shared supper at "Mama Rose's" in Estes Park. Life is
certainly very good!”
Lel: We used to email back and forth a lot
in 2008 to 2012 and we met whenever possible (when you were teaching in
Boulder) to paint in RMNP or lunch in Boulder. And Dave often came along. I
always hoped maybe Linda would come with you one time. I miss those
times! Back in 2010 you talked about your 1115th and 1118th
paintings. What number are you at now? I’m currently at #2971 and hope to reach
#3000 this year! (Although many of those were scrapped!) Have I got you beat?
Phil: You win Leslie :>)) I am currently
on 1910. I do about 125 to 150 paintings a year depending on size and painting
time. I paint between 1000 and 1800 square inches of canvas a year... I
actually keep track of that. It is all computerized and takes no time at
all. I write Visual Basic programs that run on the home computer. I taught
myself that language in order to do performance measurement studies for
Environment Canada.
Lel: I know we met before 2009 because that
day in 2009 that I broke my ankle while we were painting in RMNP is forever in
my memory bank! We stayed and each painted about 3 or 4 pieces each before we
went back to Boulder/Denver, I picked up Dave at work and THEN I went to the
ER! I spent the next several weeks on the sofa (non-weight bearing) because I
couldn’t climb the stairs! Now that was dedicated Plein Air painting! You managed
to help me control the pain by telling me stories that I never knew about Tom
Thomson, all the way from RMNP to Boulder. A true friend. I didn’t realize
until much later that’s what you were doing.
Lel: I know exactly
what day this was because of the crummy painting! The day I painted on a
broken ankle! Phil: You were still cold
Leslie and I was dressed like it was summer.
You’re making me
homesick!
Lel: When did you first pick up a brush?
Phil: In 1967... before that I used pencil on paper. I was always drawing.
Lel: Where did you study art?
Phil: I guess you can say that I enjoyed a
classical art education although at 14 years of age, I was too
young to really appreciate or understand. I would ride my bike several
miles to Mario Airomi's studio and for $2 for a 2 hour lesson, I would paint on
Saturday morning. We started with charcoal on paper and then progressed to
monochromatic oils and then to coloured landscapes... I took lessons
with Mario until he passed in 1976... although he was more of a friend and
just wanted me to come to paint. Mario was my art mentor and I think he
thought I could go someplace with art... "Pheeelll... come paint." My
biggest regret is that I did not purchase a painting from my friend; I should
have bought several. Mario gave Linda and I a daisy portrait for our
wedding gift.
Mario liked to "smoke" when he
painted. He hardly ever "drew" a puff but the ash would slowly
grow as the cigarette smoldered. The ash would get an inch long or
longer. The ash would eventually fall off on his pants and possibly on to
his art. He was a true master with two official portraits of Popes
hanging in the Vatican.
Airomi, Mario
Giuseppe, 1892-1976 (Dictionary of Canadian Artists, vol. 1, pp.
37-38)
I remember the entire Airomi family fondly.
Mario would encourage me to come and paint whenever and as often as I liked. I
would be painting there as a young kid surrounded by much older ladies who were
taking lessons just to get out of the house.... Mario would paint sometimes as
well with his bottle of Chianti and a cigarette composed entirely of ash poised
on his lip... long forgotten in his concentration on his work...
Lel: Phil is so smart! He once asked Dave and me to look at one of his books
and tell him what we thought. To “proof” it! We said sure! But we later
declined with a lame excuse because neither of us could understand a word of
it! (What was he saying?)
Phil the Forecaster
Books
Tom Thomson Was A Weatherman
Phil: I had some
requests for a better view of "Paradise" that was hanging over Dave
Phillips left shoulder in this interview. The full interview "One on One
with Peter Mansbridge" plays today.
That painting has
evolved into my signature piece. I still try to produce a painting that I like
better but that is very tough to do. I have been offered crazy money for it but
"Paradise" is one of only a very few that we have held on to.
It was a special Sunday afternoon (February 21st, 2001) and the paint just
flowed. It was a time before my Dad passed away, before 911, before the recent
wars - a simpler time when all that mattered was getting to the end of the
portage from Bass to Shoal Lake in Restoule. I painted this from photographs
but more importantly, from the memories etched in my brain. Maybe that is where
the best art has to come from?
Lel: Tell us about your current
self-published book on Tom Thomson.
Phil: I have an on-line version of my Tom
Thomson book as one of my Magazines . Enjoy
Lel: As well as your own art, Canadiana and
even some humour!
Phil’s Setup in a
beautiful Canadian Autumm.
1107
in Progress
Lel: What are some of your current projects?
Phil: If you follow my posts, you will know
it takes a lot to pry me from home. I quite enjoy spending my time paddling,
painting and enhancing the natural world. Friends encouraged me to enter the
Paint Ontario Show. Being the150 Anniversary of Canada and the unfortunate
centennial of the passing of Tom Thomson also prompted me to venture forth. I
submitted three pieces and all were accepted - maybe I am doing something right
as a Hermit...I know continue to paint up a storm. Life is good at the lake...
very good...
Lel:
Once, I sent Phil photos of a series of the most fascinating cloud formations I
watched while painting Plein Air southwest of Denver and he replied, describing
all the reasons for the cloud formations. He can describe all the cloud
formations he paints! Here are some of his wonderful Cloud paintings!
Stratocumulus Storm
coming
Snow
Clouds
Lel: We share a love of birds. I love this
Loon piece of Phil’s: Singleton Loon in Progress
Phil: This loon was just off the granite
point at Singleton Lake. We started the loon nesting platform program around
2007 and it has been used and successful most years since. They are actually
quite large birds. When a loon enters the bay, all of the ducks get "out
of Dodge". The painting is actually not as "tight" in the brush
work as it might appear. There are some pretty loose strokes and I hope that
gives some life and energy to the loon.
Lel: And this one reminded you of some of
mine: 
“Indigo” 1188
Love it!
Phil: This is an indigo bunting as seen
at Singleton Lake. It has made the forests and meadows home, along with a
hundred other species of birds - that we know about anyway. We will keep the
land unchanged so that they will want to continue to live here as do the
Chadwicks. “The egg doesn’t fall very far from the tree...” I had to write this
somewhere. My daughter was looking for the expression that the nut doesn't
fall very far from the tree but I like this version better!
Lel: I
never tire of looking at Phil’s paintings! Here’s another source (as well as
the one above) that you will enjoy: http://philtheforecaster.blogspot.com/
Phil: http://1-phil-chadwick.pixels.com/ is up to date
with my art and also has all of the merchandising that someone else looks after
:>) I would rather paint. I have shower curtains with my art spreading
around the globe...
Lel: And paint he does! He comes up with the most interesting painting
projects!
Blog: Wednesday,
March 1, 2017
Phil: Life is all
about place and for me, Canoe Lake is one of those special places. I paddled
between 19 and 23 kilometres on Sunday October 2nd 2016 around the perimeter of
Canoe Lake. Apparently it took about 7000 paddle strokes to go the distance. My
forty-six Canoe Lake paintings based on that paddle tally to 3291.7 square
inches not counting the larger panels based on those smaller works. I am sill
painting those larger canvases.
The circled numbers on the map of Canoe Lake indicates the location of each of
those paintings. There are still some gaps and I need to go back and 'phil'
those in.
Here is a link to my Canoe Lake
Gallery on Pixels.
This is a touch
stone for Canadian art... the Mowat-Canoe Lake Cemetery...
This is number
thirty-three out of forty-six in the Canoe Lake Paddle as numbered along the
path of the paddle. This was the 'walking to the Mowat Cemetery' portion of
that pilgrimage. Tom took a picture of the gravestone of James Watson…
·
Lel: Your work always makes me “homesick” because it is so
“Canadian”; it reminds me so much of home (Ontario) and the Group of Seven and
Tom Thomson.
Phil: I am still doing "Tom Thomson Was
A Weatherman". The "Tom Thomson Was A Weatherman" presentation
that I did last week was sold out at 250 people... here is a review: “I was in
attendance at your presentation. It was beyond wonderful, entertaining,
informative and enlightening. You've opened my eyes to the artwork of Tom
Thomson and how his work 'mimics' weather patterns. What a super presentation.
I hope you come back again! Regards,”
This is a big year being it is the
centennial of his passing. As many of you know, I have been presenting my
version of the art of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven since the mid 1980's.
There is still much to learn and present. 2017 will be a busy year with a
century passing since the tragic loss of one of Canada's finest artists, Tom
Thomson. 2017 is also Canada 150 so there is no better time to celebrate the
Canadian Culture. Embrace and support it!
A search of the web will reveal the time and location of presentations for you
to enjoy but these are some of the ones where I will be participating.
https://www.bluewaterlearns.com/lectures/tom-thomson-and-group-seven
Thomas
John 'Tom' Thomson An Influential Canadian Artist and The Group of Seven. (Phil
the Forecaster is the “Group of One”.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXqf3hoEPG0
And other you tube
videos you will find there.
Watch this video and
you will see why I love Phil Chadwick’s work!
#1300
..."Celebration of 50 Years of Our Flag"
Lel: Tell us about your involvement with the
Canadian Flag project(s).
Phil: The mission of this painting was to
"wrap the Canadian Flag in Canadian art". The historic Flag Committee
was formed in 1964 to find the elusive symbol that would be used around the
globe to ever after identify the uniqueness of Canada. The Group of Seven and
Tom Thomson had a similar goal in the early 20th century - to create a
distinctly Canadian expression of art. The Group of One (that's me) wanted to
achieve the same goal in the early 21st century. Canada is distinctive. The
land, water and weather are unique. The Canadian Flag is truly unique and one
of the most recognized symbols world-wide.
The painting was started on December 20th,
2012 but that was just the tinting start of a project that would take many
months. The first step is called " "imprimatura" " which
comes from the Italian for "first paint layer". The first paint
applied to the virgin canvas was thus a mixture of quinacridone/naphthol red
oil which exactly matched the colour of the Canadian Flag. I have done this for
many years but felt it should be explained in relation to the "50 Years of
Our Flag" Project. The details of this project can be found at http://www.50yearsofourflag.ca/
Oils on quinacridone/naphthol red oil tinted
foundation on commercial canvas - 48 X 72 (inches) Started 1 pm December 20th,
2012. Painting Place the Singleton Studio in front of a merry wood stove fire.
It was chilly outside with a raw easterly wind - the cold conveyor belt being
drawn into the approaching Colorado low.
I love this purple
painting…..I wonder if it is still available? Phil: (yes) Lel: Hurrah!
Lel: I admire that you do “your own thing”
and not necessarily what the pundits say we artists “should do” to further our
careers. It’s all about the painting! I love that. Did you deliberately set out
to do this?
Phil: For me Leslie, I love to simply stay
at the lake and paint the natural world around me. Inspiration is as close as
the front porch and of course there is always weather and the changing seasons.
I paint a lot and that can be a problem for the art dealers - too much supply I
guess. I see each painting as an opportunity to learn, observe and just maybe
create that masterpiece. Something really good doesn't need to be a large
canvas - a small panel might be the one. I have always said that an artist can
make a really good living after they die. We do not have many needs and my
meteorological pension keeps us going. My family should have fun finding homes
for my art after I go to the big easel in the sky. Until then, I simply plan to
stay at the lake, look after nature and the land and paint. Monet had his
garden and water lilies.
Back out to split wood :>)) I have a gas
powered hydraulic splitter Linda gave to me :>)) Easy and fun...
Lel: Thanks so much for letting me do this
Phil!
Phil is the kind of fellow who does things
for his friends to help them out. I’m thinking of one of his artist friends who
wasn’t so fortunate in his career as we were and Phil helped him because that
is what we do.