Independant Elevators building

With some time off from work I could get out during the day and make some more paintings, including these ones done at the Independant Elevators building. It used to be an industrial factory but has been abandoned for as long as I can remember. The building still stands on Maisonneuve, its a long, single story structure with one tall brick chimney. The front doors are a pale violet.  

Independant front view, watercolour 6 x 7.5" hot press, August 2025

I checked the spelling this time and the sign was indeed spelled this way 'independant' even though spellchecker is saying its with an e at the end. Maybe its french with the a. The front doors were a pale violet I mixed with green umber (PBr7) and violet (PV55, PB60). Part of my old signature is visible on the facade because this is on the back of an old painting from 1993, when I was signing the backs. 

Independant front doors, watercolour 6 x 7.5" hot press, August 2025

Much of the building has been vandalized including graffiti and broken windows. I thought the shapes and reflections on the broken windows were neat enough to feature in a painting. There was no broken glass on the ground because someone cleaned it up; the front area is used as a parking lot. 

Independant broken glass, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025

One of the windows was replaced with particle board, and some intrepid artist attached a colourful mosaic to it. There were also interesting shapes up on the brick that may have been art too. Each piece of the mosaic had a different height and shape, so it was a 3D sculpture made of off-cuts and scrap wood. 

Independant mosaic art, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025

This was the first one of the day, I got an angle that included the radio tower in the background, and a prominent tree in the foreground. One would assume this building will be knocked down one day and replaced with condos. There are no less than three brand new condo buildings on Maisonneuve, all subsidized by the city and meant to be affordable housing. 

Independant side view, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025