It is the end of summer. The calendar has barely flipped and yet the leaves have already begun to change, no doubt aided by a long period of very dry weather. We’re in a bit of a frantic period preparing to go abroad to the UK and taking care of all the tasks involved in making sure everything is arranged for our house sitter. I’m also making arrangements regarding picking up work from shows that are ending and delivering work to others that will start after we get back. Outside the pool company is closing us up for the season. My spouse says we should be playing taps. Meanwhile I’m fighting off what I hope is the last days of a cold that has been slowing me down lately.
I always look forward to travel. There is something about being taken out of my normal environment that awakens my interest in capturing new images — conversely, likely why it is so difficult to paint what’s normally around you.
In honour of summer I decided to post an older painting I did from a very short visit to Bayview-Wildwood Resort on Sparrow Lake, near the Muskokas.
I wasn’t there on holiday, but always did like it when I got asked to speak to and with groups in places that just feel like summer in Canada. It beats a downtown Toronto ballroom. I was familiar with the area — having spent summers just to the south in Wasaga Beach. One of my sisters worked at a resort near Bracebridge when I was young, prompting a family trip to check in with her.
On this particular work day, as I was coming out of the main building at Bayview Wildwood, I caught this view of one of the small cabins that were on the site at the time (these cabins may be still there). I liked the way the light was dappling through the trees and the view of the lake beyond. Even the style of the deck in front of the cabin was reminiscent of a different era.
Given the nature of the view, I wanted to tackle this loosely, having fun with the paint application as I tried to capture the remarkable light through the trees.
This is one of the works I signed on the front of the painting — a practice I have long gotten out of. The consensus now is that it is better to sign the back. It does help get around compositional issues of having writing on a corner of the painting — a distraction. I did try as much as possible to use colours that would blend into the work but still retain some readability. Now I’m happy to not have to contend with the issue, happily signing, dating and titling the piece on the back.
It’s always sad to say goodbye to summer — it is my favorite season. But the autumn has its own character too. It’s this time of year when the changes between the season are dramatic.
This October it will be a very different experience for us abroad. I’m sure I will be posting paintings from the trip later in the year and early into 2026.
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