Twin peaks, double summit

The plan was to make the double summit today, that is, south summit in Westmount, then the adjacent Mount Royal... with paintings to prove it! The summit part went fine, they were a grueling pair of uphill bike rides interspersed with some exhilarating down hills. White and pink trilliums were growing all over the ground in the summit forest. I noticed a lot of cut and fallen trees, the tree worms are doing work in this forest for sure. To paint a scene like this takes good brush control since the flowers have to be kept as negative space, then filled in with the delicate pink.

Summit forest trilliums, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, May 2025

 

Wide paths cut through the forest. We are not allowed to ride bikes in here so I walked with my bike and avoided trampling things. You see the cut and fallen trees strewn about. New trees are growing back, so the cycle of life continues. Forest scenes can be difficult, its easy to overwork the paint leaving a muddy mess. Being deliberate about the painting strategy and working fast helps keep everything looking bright and fresh.

Summit forest path, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, May 2025

 

You couldn't tell from the painting, but this lookout point is completely surrounded in tall fences with signs saying closed for renovations. The locals were murmuring about how long its been shut off for.  I remember back in the pandemic painting this scene, it was also fenced off then, albeit to prevent people from congregating at the time. From the looks of it, this structure could from the mid 20th century, it must be strong to hold up on the steep slope. About the second summit, I rode up to the top of Mount Royal but there was an inky-purple sky approaching fast and I barely made it home in time, in fact, I got quite wet in the sudden deluge.

Westmount view, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, May 2025