The aqueduct connects the st Lawrence river to the water treatment plant in Verdun, it runs mostly parallel to the Lachine canal. Here, I was standing on one of the foot bridges that crosses over to Verdun, actually close to Crawford park, looking west. The aqueduct is covered in thick growth on both sides and fenced off, making it hard to get a good angle on it. I like the way this painting turned out, there was not much to work with, so I emphasized the interesting colour transitions and ripples on the surface of the water.
Aqueduct ripples, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025
These wild grape vines grow all around Montreal, including on the fence surrounding the aqueduct. The berries are small and dark purple, with golden green leaves and red vines. This painting was a lot harder than I initially thought... the bridge and background had to be painted in between the complicated grape vine. It reminded me of painting the
Grapes of Tuscany which I did more than 20 years ago for my Aunt and Uncle, although that one was 22 x 30" and took a few weeks to paint.
Grapes on fence, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025
I've often seen these weeds under the water and thought about how to paint them. Today, I got a good view of them in the aqueduct, standing on one of the foot bridges and looking east. The grass was done with a brown background, then over-painted with wavy black, yellow and orange brush strokes. The car bridge in the distance is Rue Stephens.
Underwater grass, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025
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