Commuter Train Under Stars

 

The Maisonneuve bike path actually begins right near the University Campus. As seen in the foreground, the path loops around to the east and continues for as long as you might care to pedal...all the way to the eatsern most tip of the island as it turns out. Tonight, the sky was very dark and some stars were just barely visible over top of the urban lighting. Just as the painting was getting started the commuter train made its noise and then rumbled by on its way downtown. In the foreground, there was a massive pile of vines, like a big bowl of spaghetti that turned over. The telephone pole was an eerie green, due to the preservatives in its wood. It was reminiscent of the cypress tree in van Gogh's Starry Night painting, which no doubt inspired this one on an icy cold night. 

Commuter Train Under Stars, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3306b)

Shimmer and Subtle Textures

After painting the apple tree on the hill, I continued by bike to park Angrignon, making it all the way to the south east side of the pond. I have painted from this spot before (Symphony of Blue Green and Yellow), but this time, the pond was frozen with a thin layer of ice. Since there was no snow yet, the ice was highly reflective, but still translucent near the shore where the angle showed the muddy bottom of the pond. It was a very delicate painting to do on a harsh, cold day. The pond was done with about three layers to create the shimmer and the subtle textures. 

Frozen Pond with Reflections, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3307a)

 

On the way back I stopped on the bike path near the shipping container/truck depot area. The fellow who talked to me during the apple tree painting said that there used to be a public swimming lake here many years ago before the train company turned it into a depot area. In the background you can see the escarpment leading up to NDG, and in between (unseen) is highway 720/20 going downtown. Since everything in this scene was greyish and dark, I amplified the internal lighting of the objects to make them look lit-up. I guess red and green makes a fitting duo for this time of year. When it finally snows for real, I am planning to go to this location to paint, it is just close enough to reach in heavy snow. In winter, the bike path on the canal is only partly plowed making it tough going.

Shipping Containers no Snow, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3305b)

 

 

Wild Apple Tree on Hill

 Riding up Senkus Avenue from the canal leads past an industrial area and several large shopping malls. Yesterday, I noticed several full-sized apples on the grass near the sidewalk and though at first someone had thrown a bag of apples out the window of their car. But then I noticed a gnarled old apple tree at the top of the steep hill, it still had apples on its branches. I took some of them home to feed the squirrels (they like the pits) and put them into the composter. Today I returned to the location and made a painting of the scene, complete with frozen apples resting on the hill side. Due to the winter conditions I have to put a considerable amount of salt in the water (20 grams of salt for 100mL of water) which prevents freezing, but also makes the paint dry very slowly. So I painted in the sky first with as little paint as possible, then worked on the grassy hillside while it dried. The sky had to dry in order to put the tree over top. The hill side and apples contain a variety of yellow, green, orange and red elements, which contrasts against the soot-brown tree. The apples on the branches were back-lit by the sky making them look maroon. A fellow on roller-skis was going up and down the road, and he stopped to chat with me for awhile about exercising in the cold and sketching.

Wild Apple Tree on Hill, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3343)

The Yellow Fellow

The yellow fellow refers to Vincent van Gogh, a painter from the 19^th century oil painter who mastered, among other things, the colour yellow. He used an amazing variety of yellows in his famous sunflower series, hay field series, and numerous portraits. There was a very bright yellow, a dark yellow, a greyish (pastel) yellow, creamy varieties of yellow, greenish yellow, orangish yellow, and varieties of brownish yellow. He seemed to understand the strengths and limitations of each yellow because he employed them strategically depending on the needs of the painting. It is not possible to copy van Gogh's style because he used a slightly different style for each and every painting. In my humble abstract painting, I was mostly cleaning the palette, and using the opportunity to explore shades of orange and yellow. (No. 3212b)

The Yellow Fellow, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, December 2022

Painting of Slightly Frozen Water

With the temperatures below zero and a fierce wind it was a daunting task to get on the bike today. I headed to Park Angrignon and see if there was any ice forming on the pond yet. All bundled up, I pedaled down to the park. about a 30 minutes ride, and found a popular spot just next to the west part of the long, narrow pond. It was a thoroughly trodden area since people were going for walks and stopping to take pictures. The waning light was illuminating some of the trees, with the rest of them in shadow. Thin ice had formed on the pond's surface. As usual, when painting in the cold with salty water, it doesn't dry very fast making the detail work difficult. Next time I might try to use dry, adjacent brushstrokes and avoid any wet wash effect. At any rate, the colours are nice here and the thin ice effect is convincing.

Slightly Frozen Pond, Park Angrignon, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3305a)

 

While making a hasty retreat from the park, this scene caught my eye. The grass was an interesting mix of yellow, orange and green, and the canal had a sapphire-blue hue. It was immensely challenging for a simple painting. Wind was blasting down the canal, and the paint was turning into a mild slush. The new deerskin mitts were keeping my hands toasty warm although I discovered that the mitts have a dark grey dye that can rub off onto the paper. The mitts are also not up to the task of riding a bike, since I could already see wear and tear forming on the palms. I guess these mitts were meant for fashion shows not outdoor work! When the seasons change there is always an adjustment time where I adapt the gear and the painting style. With a long string of freezing days ahead, at least there is ample chance for more practice.

c watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3306a)

Light and Shadow on Campus

Wanting to avoid a cold night painting, I snuck out of the office after a bunch of meetings and made a quick painting of the dying light in the campus quad area. The aim of the painting was to capture the colours which appeared to be quite intense, the scene was bathed in an amber light of the setting sun. As the under-painting dried very slowly, the tree overlay diffused into the background in places. This painting kind of represents the contrast between work, and my painting hobby. Maybe there will come a time when I can paint full time. Tomorrow is looking promising for a painting trip, sunny although quite cold.

Light and Shadow on Campus, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3304b)

Full Moon over Sherbrooke

 

The moon was almost full tonight. It was a bright, silver disk, easily shining through the overcast sky. Some of the condo/apartments were lit up with interior lights creating a neat contrast. At the very bottom right was a dépanneur but the paper was too small to fit everything in. Even the moon was a lot higher in the sky than shown int he painting. Lately I was contemplating using a 2:1 or even 3:1 format to paint city scenes where the buildings and sky elements are very much vertical. This was the view from right near the Lufa delivery truck where I picked up the groceries on my bike.

Full Moon over Sherbrooke, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3304a)