Night scenes on Maisonneuve bike path

There were still quite a few people riding along the bike path just after the sun set, so I stopped to paint a few things that I saw the other night riding home. This is one of the car washes, its obviously closed at this time, but the lights were still on inside, and the illuminated lights were casting a glow over the facade. When painting night scenes, including the sky is important to help tell the story. A few years ago I painted a dépanneur at night without any sky showing, and instead used the sidewalk shadows to convey the sense of night time. I used a bit of that idea here, with the light/shadow on the sidewalk. 

Car Wash flags, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, July 2025

 

A bit further down the path and I found the scene of a billboard on top of the bike store next to Girouard. An apartment in the background loomed, it was a grid of dark brown and yellow. To do the distant building effect I painted the dark grid first, then used the number 2 small brush to dab in the orange-yellow. Some windows are dark too, because not all lights are on at once. 

Billboard bike shop, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, July 2025