Collecting the Sap

Here is another painting that I think is well suited to the season, here in Ontario. Our maple sugar and syrup making season has just ended for another year. The tradition of collecting sap from sugar maple trees is well known in eastern Canada and the north eastern USA. It is done in early spring when the sap stored in the roots of the maple tree begins to travel back up the trunks of these trees, to feed the buds that will soon blossom into leaves. Small holes are carefully drilled around the circumference of the tree and 'taps' or 'spiles' are driven into these holes to collect some of the sap as it flows upward. The sap, in turn, is allowed to drip into pails attached to the tree, or as is most common today, into a network of plastic tubing, which may run for miles to a central collection point. The sap must be boiled down quickly to avoid spoilage. It takes approximately eleven gallons of raw sap to produce one gallon of delicious maple syrup.

For the most part, tractors and modern equipment have replaced the horses and sleighs that were traditionally used in collecting the sap for delivery to the 'sugar shacks' for the long process of boiling over a wood fire. If you look hard enough, it is still possible to find teams of horses, such as the Belgians pictured here, being used in the bush to bring tanks of sap to the wood fired evaporators and maple sugar shacks.

The title of this painting is 'Collecting the Sap'. This painting measures 18 inches by 24 inches. I painted it on stretched cotton canvas, using alkyd paints. Prints are available.

Madawaska Sunset

I thought this painting would be appropriate at this time of the year. We are down to the last days of March, spring is officially here, and the weather is definitely showing a warming trend. I painted this picture some years ago, when we owned a cottage on the Madawaska River, south of Algonquin Park, in Ontario, Canada. This is the view from that cottage, which sits high on the river bank, just to the right of this painting. It is a late afternoon picture and the sun is setting in the west. I loved the contrast of the warm light reflected in the water, surrounded by the cold blue of the melting ice in the foreground. The three Canada Geese tell a story of the changing seasons and the new life which will soon burgeon throughout the north.

The title of this painting is 'Madawaska Sunset'. The painting measures 18 inches by 24 inches and it is painted in alkyd paint on stretched canvas. Like most of my paintings, prints are available in a variety of sizes.

Toronto Illustrators

Another month has flown by and I have found little time to add a new post to my blog. My last few posts have been in reference to my previous career in illustration. The industry has changed a great deal in more recent years, and digital art, created with the use of computer graphics software predominates these days. You can view the work of a number of illustrators, such as the one I have posted here, by visiting www.torontoillustrators.com.