In the Shadows

Georgian Bay, 9” x 20”, oil on panel, 2003

From the Coast To Canvas Project

A quiet place. Just one of the countless nooks along the shores of Georgian Bay where the Canadian Shield protrudes from the lush growth at the peak of summer.

I had paddled by the scene earlier in the day, when the sun was striking down. Although it appealed to me then, the harshness of the light didn’t quite have the quality I was looking for. Not that I really had any pre-conceived ideas about what I was going to paint. My approach to creating art derives almost exclusively from personal experience; seeing something that triggers an internal switch drives me to try and capture it on canvas. In this case, the final composition was arrived at when I later returned, and found the evening backlight filling the sky with rich colour and casting the island into shade. Pulling the brim of my cap down further allowed me to filter out the light and focus on the now subtle textures hidden in the shadows.