Sunrise 2023
While camping on the shore of Francois Lake, BC in the fall of 2023, I awoke to the most amazing sunrise clearly enhanced by forest fire smoke. The dazzling reds, oranges and yellows in the morning sky were awe inspiring! I immediately thought of Tom Thomson’s oil sketch "Sunset 1915", always believing the incredible colorist had put his signature artistic flair into this piece. In Tom Thomson: The Silence and the Storm, authors David P. Silcox and Harold Town comment that Thomson worked briefly as a firefighter in 1915 while residing at Canoe Lake. I now believe the painting reflects the heightened, vibrant colours Thomson viewed in an evening sky influenced by forest fire smoke. My title pays homage to the Canadian master painter whose paintings were the starting point of my journey as an artist.