Inspired by the Canoe

As I am currently housebound with the flu and have little energy for anything today, I thought I'd blog a day early. Tomorrow, I will likely be catching up on stuff I didn't do today.

I received a book titled, Canoe Country; The Making of Canada, written by Roy MacGregor. MacGregor's family roots begin in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. He was a columnist for the Globe and Mail and has won a number of awards for his journalism. He is also an Officer of the Order of Canada.

I have read two of his other books, A Life in the Bush and Canoe Lake and I really love his story-telling which takes me to the places he writes about. It probably helps that I have been to or know of the locations in which his stories take place.

I picked up Canoe Country from the side table in the living room because having the flu and no energy, reading was something I could do in bed. As I read the entertaining introduction, I realized that I love to paint the canoe and my dad has also used the canoe as a subject in his sketches and paintings. Coincidentally, I am currently working on a painting of 4 canoes.

Due to the fact that I have also taken a yearly canoe trip for the last 6 years, this book really excited me. Here are some excerpts from the Introduction.

"who would criticize the canoe? It requires no fuel beyond human muscle. It does not pollute. It makes no noise. It takes us to and from familiar places we love the best, introduces us to magical places we would not otherwise experience. When properly conducted, its passage through these fragile, special landscapes leaves no mark."1

The quote below has been mine and I believe my fellow canoeists' experience.

"No man can define the attraction and the disadvantages of heat, thirst, flies, long hours bent on a paddle, under rain or sunshine, hard carries over rough portages, all things inherent to such a trip made through unfrequented territories. What then urges one to go, knowing well what is in store for him? Perhaps the charm lies in magnificent sunrise and sunset scenes, or in contending with the forces of nature by one's own physical power. Or is it the soothing calm of the forest, the restful horizon of silvery lakes, the alluring noise of rapids and waterfalls? The question is hard to answer! One goes in spite of it all, accepting in advance whatever may happen. He goes and returns satisfied, even if he only brings back memories of the beautiful panoramas he has had the privilege of admiring, memories of pleasant evenings spent around the camp fire, listening to the mysterious voices of the wild, memories of freedom he has enjoyed, far from the tentacles of civilization."2

 Above is one of my dad's canoe watercolour paintings

The above are early watercolours I did of canoes.

 

This watercolour is from one of my recent canoe trips.

Below is the painting I am working on currently in acrylic. I isn't finished yet but I like where it is going and I also like the square format.

1. MacGregor, Roy, Canoe Country;The Making of Canada, Pg. 6
2. MacGregor, Roy, Canoe Country; The Making of Canada, Quote by Raoul Clouthier, Pg 9