Ribbon of Brightness

It was Gordon Lightfoot's birthday and we were reminiscing about the number of times that we had seen Gordon perform at Massey Hall in Toronto.... more

by Phil Chadwick

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Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

14.000 x 11.000 x 0.750 inches

Title

Ribbon of Brightness

Artist

Phil Chadwick

Medium

Painting - Oil On Canvas

Description

It was Gordon Lightfoot's birthday and we were reminiscing about the number of times that we had seen Gordon perform at Massey Hall in Toronto. Lightfoot's birthday is November 17th. We saw him turn 50 years old on that Massey Hall Stage... and numerous other times. We were there to watch the last series of concerts when they were closing Massey Hall for renovations in June 2018. The ceiling at Massey Hall was covered in chicken wire for the past several decades, due to crumbling plaster. To call Lightfoot a national icon would be an understatement.

This time we were enjoying the sunset at Singleton instead. Massey Hall would remain closed until November 25th, 2021 when Gordon would perform there again. The cost of tickets and everything else during COVID was out of sight so we stayed in quarantine at the lake. The simple pleasures of life were not in COVID lockdown.

It is vital to see the positive. There is so much darkness in the world that it is best not to dwell on the negative. Watch the news, the power panel of paid, partisan, political pundits and talking heads for just a few minutes of dribble and that will be more than enough. Nature will enforce the laws of physics in the end. Heat waves, forest fires, atmospheric rivers and other calamities with an incalculable return period, are happening annually. Weather is indeed re-writing the climate on a short time scale that was previously considered to be impossible.

Mother Nature is doing her best to bring balance back to the planet inspite of humankind's efforts to confound her. Life is all about balance isn't it. The weather tries to keep the earth on an even keel and that requires much more drastic measures these days.

The brilliant sunset light emerging from under the thick overcast was my simple message in this painting. The torrential rain storm had passed to the east. Family, nature and the ever changing light from the sky, brighten my world and the Singleton Sanctuary. That is the message that I needed to record in these oils. I made this memory as I watched the sunset and the ribbon of brightness over me was all that I really needed.

Uploaded

January 21st, 2022