It started out well enough, I decide to ride north on the back-roads... this involves going to Decarie mall, under the train tracks, through the Walmart shopping area and behind the old Hippodrome which is now a grassy field. Continuing north brings the industrial park and auto-route 40. Going under the auto-route enters into Bois de Brise neighborhood, and a large personal storage warehouse painted green, orange and white. This massive peony bush was growing next to an orange door... I tried to get the peonies as small as possible, there were actually thousands of blooms.
Peonies and orange door, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, June 2025
Next I took on a scene of these pedestrian signs strewn about, their arrows were pointing in all different directions. In the midst of painting it, the CN train went by and I took the opportunity to paint the front of the engine under the auto-route. In retrospect, I should have taken the opportunity to cross back to Montreal before this train arrived because it actually stopped, and the 'clang clang clang' just kept going and going. Luckily I had earplugs. A service pickup truck went by and I knew there was trouble.
Signs and CN engine, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, June 2025
Turns out the train was stopped for like 30 minutes, then when it started moving it took another 10 minutes to go by, it was several kilometers long. I took the opportunity to paint the stopped train, it was a complex scene but I had time. On the top of the painting is the bottom side of the auto-route, then in the middle is the back of a maroon train car, and the front of a metal-framed train car. Then the train X and lights which were flashing the whole time, and some barriers in the foreground. Adding to the effect, the train car had graffiti on it. In the end it looks almost like an abstract painting!
No go, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, June 2025
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