In 1996 I visited Montreal in the middle of the winter mostly to enjoy the new years celebrations but also to attempt outdoor landscape painting in the freezing temperatures. This painting was done on the lookout point on top of Mount Royal, several tourists are taking in the vista, you can see the south shore across the St. Lawrence River spanned by the Champlain Bridge. In the middle ground is downtown Montreal.
The trick to painting watercolour in the winter is to put a lot of salt in the water to prevent it from freezing, the other trick is to prevent yourself from freezing, which may involve many extra layers. Most of all you paint fast when it is that cold. The winter paintings I have done all have a quick 'snapshot' feel to them. Also, upon closer inspection, you may see the ice crystals that formed during the painting which left their mark in the finished work. The paint dries very slowly in these conditions, so the colour washes are all separated by blank paper.
View from Chalet, Winter Mount Royal, 5 x 7" cold press watercolour, 1997 (No. 1060)
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