Getting Ready for Painting Season
Our Summer Cottage
We stay at our summer cottage in Northwest Ontario frequently from April to October. Even though it’s less than two hours away, it’s located in the rugged Canadian Shield and is considered remote. While we can drive in over the rocks in summer, we’re unable to do so when there’s snow on the ground. The only service we have is electricity and there are occasional power outages.
The landscape, though, is amazing. It’s covered in ancient rock, pristine forests and dotted with numerous lakes. For me, it’s a landscape painter’s paradise, but it isn’t easy. Let me explain.
The Reality of the Beauty
We close up the cottage for the winter and in March my husband treks in to connect the water collection system so we have water when we open the cottage after the snow is gone. We then use this water for washing, etc but not for drinking so we bring drinking water from home.
We have electricity and baseboard heat, but it’s very expensive so supplement it with a wood stove, which includes brining in fuel wood. Last, but not least we have a compost toilet, which requires regular maintenance. Anyways you get the idea. It’s rustic. Now for the other challenges.
The Bugs
Yes, there are bugs and different ones come and go throughout the season. They are every outdoor painter’s nightmare. Bugs have driven me indoors more than once. Ticks, for example, are usually abundant in May and June so I don’t sit on the ground to paint and always put on tick repellent. Don’t get me wrong, bugs are important for a healthy ecosystem, but sometimes I curse them! I even did a video about bugs last year. You can see it on my YouTube
The Weather
Yes, a challenge for all outdoor painting for sure. Fortunately for me I can paint the view out one of the many windows in our cottage or bunkie where I have my warm weather guerrilla Art studio when the weather is awful. I’ve done several. Here’s one I did a few years ago.
The Landscape
Yes, it’s beautiful, but it’s also treacherous. There are some places on our property where we rarely walk as the forest is too thick or the rock face too steep. Consequently, I’ve found several painting spots that I can readily access. The bigger problem is keeping my painting fresh as I’ve painted these same spots numerous times over the
My Health
Last but not least are health problems, which never seem to get better. I have asthma and heart issues and each year find my ability to carry painting gear and scramble over rocks is diminished. So far I’ve been able to find workarounds. Stay tuned to find out what this year brings!
Watch for 2025 Cottage Painting Season
We just went out to the lake a few days ago and stocked the larder, warmed up the cottage and prepared for the season. Unfortunately it rained and the electricity went out, but it felt good to be there anyways.
I took out my watercolour painting gear and even did one painting inspired by the view from the cottage loft window. I find it takes a few paintings to get my watercolour skills honed again, but it was great fun. The painting is below, no name yet.
