SHADES OF GREY - ALGONQUIN PROVINCIAL PARK- WE'RE HERE!

Having purchased our park pass at the West Gate we continue east on Hwy 60, referred to as the Corridor, and begin our exploration of Algonquin Provincial Park, the jewel in the crown of Ontario’s Provincial Parks.

Now, I have to warn those of you who are visiting the park for the first time, it’s infectious. Sandy and I came for a visit some 45 years ago and since then a year doesn’t go by that we don’t spend time in the park hiking the trails, paddling the lakes, photographing its flora and fauna, and sketching and painting. And, we’ve but scratched the surface of this wondrous landscape.

If you’re intent is to capture the park’s landscape on canvas and carry on the work begun by Tom Thomson and Canada’s Group Of Seven Painters you'd best get started right away as it could easily take a lifetime to do justice to the park's magnificence. 

Along the Corridor   Pen and Ink Sketch

Not aware of just who Tom Thomson and Canada's Group of Seven were and their association with Algonquin Provincial Park, then check out the McMichael Canadian Collection -  http://www.mcmichael.com

As we really don't have the space to visit all of Algonquin in these pages I'll include a few of my drawings and sketches in each of the next few postings, enough to acquaint you with a bit of the park and hopefully encourage  you to visit and make your own sketches and paintings.

Along the Corridor  Graphite Sketch

The frustrating thing about driving the Corridor is that interesting bits of landscape keep revealing themselves and there's more often than not no where to pull off to sketch. Sometimes one finds oneself parking and walking back on the shoulder of the road dodging traffic to do a quick sketch.

Tea Lake from the Corridor   Graphite Studio Drawing  2014

This is one of those frustrating views from the Corridor almost impossible to do a field sketch. 

Tea Lake near the campground  - Graphite Studio Drawing  2014

This particular scene is almost impossible to capture with a field sketch. Having travelled up and down the Corridor countless time I've glimpsed the scene enough that it's fixed in my mind allowing me to do a drawing from memory. Coming up from Smoke Lake through Burnt Creek one enters Tea Lake, and turns right travelling across the lake to the access to Canoe Lake. Memories. Wonderful memories of times long past.

At the side of the Road   Graphite Drawing  2012

The best views are often at the other side of the highway and down a steep embankment.

Peck Lake  Pen & Ink Field Sketch

The Peck Lake Hiking Trail is accessed rom the Corridor. Peck Lake is a small lake that begs for a quick sketch and if there's time a watercolour plain air painting, or two. 

The pencil sketch below is of Canisbay Lake, a favourite destination. From the canoe put in one can see a point of land where once grew a tall White Pine. Then, come one spring we noticed that the pine was leaning, its roots being undermined by high water level in the lake. More about the leaning pine next time..............

To be continued......................