A little rock island
A chunk of quartz
The colors of Fall
The evening reflection
OSA Lake, Killarney Provincia Park
A little rock island
A chunk of quartz
The colors of Fall
The evening reflection
OSA Lake, Killarney Provincia Park
This is an early morning scene on OSA Lake, Killarney Provincial Park.
Think of yourself sitting at your campsite, coffee in hand. A cool crisp morning.
Calm and peaceful
The La Cloche Mountains in Fall colors
Then on the 5th day
I captured this scene
Killarney Provincial Park
OSA Lake
Borne upon the wind
As windblown seeds
To settle upon a ridge
One a Juniper tree
The other a white pine
In time they spread roots
Emerging into the world
To peer over the grass
The view before them
Of clear sapphire waters
Set among the ancient hills
Of gleaming white quartz ridges
Renown as the La Cloche Mountains
Summer turned to fall
A north wind blew
Causing a chill to blanket
The changing wilderness
The hills once aglow
With the colors of fall
The hills now stand bare
As the last leaves descend
To the forest floor
An early winter snowfall
Blankets the barren land
Two little brothers submerged
In the fresh fallen snow
Dark clouds roll overhead
Ice begins to form
On the darken waters
The nights are cold
With the temperature dropping
Two little brothers lying dormant
In the fresh fallen snow
Not to awaken till
The coming of spring
It is now winter
The land buried in snow
The cold raw and dry
Prevails over the land
The sound of snapping branches
Echoes through the forest
On bone cold mornings
There is a raw beauty
Looking over the landscape
The nights are long
The days are short
In the grips of winter
Two little brothers lay
Dormant beneath the snow
A warm freshen breeze
Blows from the south
The temperatures turn mild
The coming of spring
Just around the corner
The snow in turn
Begins to melt
The dripping of water
Commences to flow
But the coming of darkness
Lends a chill
Through the awakening forest
Each morning brings another
Warming spring day
The grip of winter eroding
Before long the little brothers
Poke through the receding snow
To refresh in the clear spring air
The cleansing spring rains
Invade the awakening hinterlands
A touch of green
Soon appears on the forest floor
Then a sudden snowfall
Blankets the changing vista
But the snow is gone
By the next day
The warmth of the sun
Soon prevails over the landscape
Melting away the fresh snow
The sound of running water
Is heard everywhere
Under the relentless sun
A once icebound lake
Is now open water
The sound of waterfowl
Splashing and feeding
The haunting call of the loon
Echoes over the lake
The sounds of spring
Carries in the air
Patches of color push
Through the dead leaves
Spring flowers soon dot
The woodland floor
The returning song birds
A splash of color
Darting among the trees
Give joy to spring
With their graceful melodies
A sea of green splashes
The far quartz hills
The two little brothers
Rejoice in new found growth
On my last trip into O S A Lake,Killarney Provincial Park the weather was cool,wet and windy.The above locations is one of my favourites for the structure of the La Cloche Mountains.This particular rock face had a necklace of Fall colours adorning it. It had stopped raining late that afternoon leaving the landscape wet and saturated.The cloud cover was heavy and grey.The sun had not come out yet.
I used the two points as my lead in, showing just a touch of reflections in the foreground.This should make my good friend Bill Whittaker smile in regards to water and reflections.This is an ongoing topic we have.Past the two points is more water.There is a pink tinge on the rocks that gives a unique feel to the composition. Two days later there was large areas bare of colour due to the weather.
I received an email that my artwork titled “Daybreak” has been selected as an Honorable Mention of the 2012 Landscape Art Contest, an international juried art competition. Mywork will have a full page feature in Artist Portfolio Magazine Issue 10.
Bill Whittaker has a website you may like to check out.
http://billwhittaker.scarf.ca/
Well that is it for this week folks.Thanks for visiting and till next time happy trails.
On my previous trip to O S A Lake in Killarney Provincial Park we camped on a large island.The island is large enough to allow many photo opportunities. Walking the shoreline I spotted this interesting little point jutting out into the lake.It contained beautiful structure detail that was enhanced by the reflections created in the water.So using the point as my foreground,the small rock island as my middle ground and the forested La Cloche Mountains for the background I was able to create the above composition.
The late evening sun was highlighting the Maple trees on the hillside giving a nice yellowish glow to reflect into the water.Looking at the point in foreground you will see blue on certain parts of the rocks.If I was to remove this blue you would get a dull grey color.I do not know if this is due to the camera’s sensors or the late evening lighting.I have come across this many times with the type of rock structure found in the La Cloche Mountains.
Well that is it for this week as I have been busy preparing for The Killarney Art Show this coming Saturday and Sunday.If you are in the area stop in at the show.There will be many very good artists there.25 % of all purchased art work goes to The Friends of Killarney to help them in there many projects at Killarney Provincial Park.You can check there website here.
http://friendsofkillarneypark.ca/joomla/
While you are in Killarney enjoy some of the best fish and chips at the waterfront. Till next time happy trails.
Wednesday morning,clear blue sky and warm temperatures.I pulled into Paul Smith’s yard.Having loaded Paul’s gear in we were soon on the road.We stopped in Lively for gas and a Tim Horton‘s coffee and were soon driving down Hwy 69 to Killarney Provincial Park.
I pulled into the parking lot at the main entrance to the Park.Entering the Park office we were met by Kris Puhvel executive director for Friends of Killarney.We had a brief chat with Kris,then obtaining our camp permits we headed out.We were informed that there was a fire ban in effect.
We quickly loaded our gear into the canoe and were on our way to the East end of George Lake.As we approached the portage into Freeland Lake a yearling black bear was sitting on the shore among the grass observing us,minding his own business.Unloading the canoe we proceeded to carry our gear over the short portage.As I was walking a good size water snake crossed in front of me into the water. On my return trip I spotted a male Hummingbird on the ground.I placed the colorful little fella in the palm of my hand and looking him over did not see any damage and he was alive.I then placed him in the shade of a tree while Paul sprinkled water around him.We launched our canoe into Freeland Lake were we discovered our friend the young black bear was now rambling along the shoreline looking for food.
The portage over to Killarney Lake was soon accomplished.Here we met a young couple coming out.There were a few mosquitoes here to annoy you.But we soon left them behind as we made our way into beautiful Killarney Lake.The wind was light and before you know it we were at the O S A Lake portage.Here we were met by a pair of Canada Geese with six little goslings standing on shore. The geese entered the water as we pulled in and soon disappeared up the shoreline.
The portage into OSA Lake is one of my favorites with its open stands of large Maple trees.The sun filtering down from above through the forage to dapple the forest floor.Here you can spot tracks of whitetail deer and enjoy the wild flowers such as Johnny Jump ups.Reloading the canoe Paul and I paddled West on OSA Lake to a campsite on a large island.Before long our campsite was in place and we sat down to relax and enjoy the surroundings.Exploring the island we discovered a number of possible compositions.With luck the wind would calm down and we could do some photographing.
That evening our wishes came true and I captured the above scene.Early Spring the deciduous leaves are a nice yellow green in color.With the darker evergreen colors along with warm light you can achieve some very nice effects.The above composition is a result of this.The rock point in the foreground adds color and depth.The bit of forage on the rocks added to the scene as well.The reflections add a nice filler to tie everything in.
Well that is it for this week.I have not had time to read everyone’s blog so I apologize for that as I am very busy.So until next time happy trails.
A dry warm wind
Caresses the rocky shoreline
Of a far Northern lake
Upon the wind a seed
from an open pine cone
Is borne along
To settle among the boulders
Scattered along the water’s edge
In time a small pine tree
Protrudes from the shelter
Of the surrounding rocks
The years go by
The struggling pine tree
Is now stunted and gnarled
Bent to the onslaught of the wind
Its existence at the mercy
Of the ravages of Nature
Then one fateful day
On a stormy dark night
The gale force winds
Churning the surface of the lake
Toppled the struggling pine tree
To lie among the scattered rocks
Its existence no more
The photograph you see above is a creation of my own doing.The rocks were beautiful in form and texture.As I was walking the shoreline of OSA Lake in Killarney Provincial Park I came across the remains of a pine tree lying along the shoreline.I picked it up an set where I wanted it to be positioned.I then searched around for some pine cones to add in the foreground.I placed them on a patch of green grass.Thus I created a bit of a story line which the poem is a creation of.The pine tree comes from the seed out of a cone to its final resting place where ever it falls.
So I hope you have enjoyed this post.I also would like to thank everyone who came for a visit and I enjoy the comments very much.If you are ever out my way stop in for a coffee.Check my link to FAA for available prints for sale.So until next time happy trails.
This two shot pano was taken last fall on OSA Lake in Killarney Provincial Park.The La Cloche Mountains are in the background.I was captivated by the clarity of the trees along the shoreline.The reflection was picture perfect.There was just enough fall color to add to the over all composition.There was still some mist in the upper hills.The only thing I did not like was the bland skies.With that in mind I kept the sky to a minimum. That is actually an island in the photo.I added a touch of rock in the foreground to the right to tie everything in.
That is it for this week.Thursday I am off to Midland Ontario where I have 2 photos in the Quest for Art Juried Art Show.I have added the invitations to the reception.If you are in the area please stop by for a chat and you can view a couple of my compositions live.So until next time happy trails.
Not a breath of wind
Is to be had
The sky all red and orange
The dawn of a new day
Is upon the land
The Four Sisters eroded descendants
Of peaks once young in height
With quartz cliffs that gleam
Like snow from a far
A craggy imposing landscape
That others have passed
Many thousand of years before
Covered with jack pine ridges
Descending oak,maple and pine
Cover the mountain side
In the bowels of the mountains
Sapphire lakes gleam in the morning light
Mirroring the surrounding landscape
On their glass like surface
Sloping red granite offset
The stark white quartz
Upon a windswept ridge
A twisted pine braves the elements
Having landed there as a seed
Growing up as best as it can
Now part of the landscape
Bit by bit the Four sisters
Are revealed as rounded humps
Against the glowering sky
Revealing their everlasting beauty
To paddlers and hikers now passing by
Being among the La Cloche Mountain system is a very inspirational experience for anyone who has been there.There is much beauty to be found as one canoes or hikes this mountain system in Killarney Provincial Park
The above scene is a series of photos put together to create the composition.I photographed the panoramic at O S A Lake in Killarney Provincial Park last Fall.At one point the mist was lifting and the sky was a gorgeous Orange and Red for a few minutes.In this particular section of the La Cloche Mountains their are four rounded humps visible on the South side of O S A Lake.The name Four Sisters is my own doing.