The peaceful Sunday afternoon excursion painting was quite different from MacDonald's previous works of industry and machinery.

[1] The work is vast and full of light, an uninhabited, untouched landscape, the only intrusion being the two small figures—MacDonald's fellow Canadian painters A. Y. Jackson on the left and Tom Thomson on the right[2]—tying up their canoe, silhouetted against the clear, still waters.

The low-lying cloud cover reflects the tree line below and the cumulus masses gently floating upwards draw the viewer's eye from the lower left to the upper right corner of the painting.

The water is composed of dark and light blues and greens, showing its varied depth and hinting at its crystal clarity, but MacDonald has also painted creamy pinks and soft purples reflecting the multi-coloured sky above.

The small strip of beach in the foreground is also rich in colour, giving it life and movement.