The Winding Bow

by Jan Dappen

Title

The Winding Bow

Artist

Jan Dappen

Medium

Painting - Oil On Canvas

Description

The Winding Bow
While on a much-needed vacation in the fall of 2019, my husband and I were both
amazed at the beauty we found in the Canadian Rockies. There was never a view I
didn’t want to capture with my iPhone camera and very few I didn’t want to
capture with my brush. I chose to paint on this 24 x 24 linen canvas with oil,
because it is my favorite medium. The Bow River is the winding river you see with
the Canadian Rockies shining in the background. The light source was never
questionable in Canada. It always seemed to make a definite impact on
everything in its path. Most of this painting was done with a palette knife. By
applying the color with the palette knife, I don’t need to dilute the paint, but lay
the paint on full strength. It truly makes the colors more vibrant and provides the
texture that is similar to the rock formations.
Why The Winding Bow? The name bow refers to the reeds that grew along its
banks and were used by the first nations to make bows; the Blackfoot language
name for the river is makhabn, meaning "river where bow reeds grow". The bows
were used during their buffalo hunts. They would also run the buffalo off the cliffs
in the Bow valley. The Bow River is in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the
Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the
prairies, where it meets the Oldman river, the two then forming the south
Saskatchewan river. These waters ultimately flow through the nelson river into
Hudson Bay. The mountain on the left is called the Eiffel Peak.

Uploaded

November 18th, 2023

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