May Rain, May Not

The goslings were hatching out. We had at least three families of six goslings each. One year by early August, we had a hundred geese enjoying our... more

by Phil Chadwick

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Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

12.000 x 10.000 x 0.875 inches

Title

May Rain, May Not

Artist

Phil Chadwick

Medium

Painting - Oil On Canvas

Description

The goslings were hatching out. We had at least three families of six goslings each. One year by early August, we had a hundred geese enjoying our waterfront. I love nature but the Canada geese were taking over and I could not pick up all of the poop that was virtually everywhere. I would put on gloves and spend some time filling up buckets with goose poop before it found its way into the water...

Over the years, we experimented with plastic coyotes, broadcasting predator sounds over the outside speakers and even tasking the grand kids with chasing these geese on sight. The Canada geese were smart enough to display destain for our feeble, human efforts. I wanted to work with the nature of the Canada geese but they did not wish to play along. That changed in 2019 when we purchased strands of flags like the kind you see around car dealerships that are designed to excite you into buying a car.

The flags are always moving with the breeze and apparently, the geese are unable to get a good day and good night sleep. I also installed them at goose level so they either have to duck (so to speak) low under them, or jump and fly over them. The geese do not like to do either. The geese prefer to just eat the clover and of course poop. My goal was to train the geese to eat and fertilize the clover on one side of the flagged barrier. That amount of land tallied almost three acres of perfect clover fodder. My side of the flag boundary was the marble ridge and the swimming area. The grand kids were tasked with helping the geese learn the rules. Geese are smart and I think that we are on excellent terms again. They respect the flags more than people.

On this May morning, I wanted to stand out in full view of the geese and goslings so that they would remember our flag arrangements of the previous years. I decided to paint en plein air on the marble ridge. Showers were threatening in the light northerly flow. The west basin of Singleton Lake was rippled by the drainage wind down Lyndhurst River and that explains the broad white band of the water on the horizon which was reflecting the clouds and bright sky. The east basin was calm and provided a more mirror like reflection of the far shore of Singleton. I was just finishing up when a heavier shower came by. It was a beautiful day as we needed the rain.

The title came to me as I painted. I was not watching the radar and I was uncertain whether the showers would rain me out during my May plein air outing. I thought it was punny.

Uploaded

July 1st, 2021