Waterfalls on the Way into Nellie Lake 

Curator: It's interesting to see how Carmichael translated this raw, rugged scene. It’s quite tactile, almost a translation of sensation, not just sight. Editor: The impasto! The paint application is so vigorous, particularly around the rocks, you can almost feel the artist building up that terrain, layer by layer. It really highlights the physical process of making art, of grappling with the landscape itself. Curator: Precisely! And if we think about water as a symbolic force, the cascading falls might represent something powerful— perhaps an untapped potential or a constant source of renewal. Water is rife with these kinds of associations across many cultures. Editor: The brushstrokes direct my eyes toward the cascading water, of course. But I'm really drawn to the material itself—the visible strokes speak to me of the effort required to capture something so ephemeral in solid oil paint. I wonder what supports he was working with in this "en plein air" study, which speaks of certain logistical freedoms. Curator: This work allows us to step back and consider the potency that landscapes once held. Beyond the visual spectacle, they represented spiritual refuge, places of awe and terror, of connection. The land wasn’t simply scenery; it was integral to a cultural narrative. Editor: I like that point. Carmichael chose, as many in the Group of Seven did, to spotlight landscapes. It’s fascinating when you think of it now, the availability of resources that granted leisure time for "plein air" to an elite male sect and access to unspoiled land… all factors inextricably bound up with this type of creative production. Curator: Viewing it from this lens is critical. So many layers of social and ecological context are implicit in such an evocative landscape study. I might add too, given that we don’t know its exact date, this little painting also underscores something profound about persistence through repetition, each visit renewing experience. Editor: Ultimately, I walk away thinking less about water symbolism and more about Carmichael's dedicated act of translating nature's forces through manual, material intervention. An apt reminder of humanity’s imprint!