Recently Montreal hosted the world famous jazz festival situated in the heart of downtown Montreal. I spent an afternoon there painting pictures and enjoying the inspiration provided by the jazz tunes floating through the air. In the painting you see the Montreal skyline looking east, the alcove in the church wall contains a statue. In the middle-ground, a portion of the main stage is seen, the purple square is one of the video screens which broadcasts the scene from the stage. Of course, the crowds of people are seen milling about, waiting for the next show to start.
I start this painting with a rough outline of the skyline and the stage. I leave the part where the people go blank at first. The people are quick sketches of actual people I saw, but for the most part I fill in the details of the crowd from memory. People just wont stand still long enough for you to catch them. I had an offer to buy this painting from a festival goer, but I decided not to sell. It is always difficult to sell small paintings like this because people figure that it is like a small postcard and should only cost 5$ or something, so what is the point I figure. However, once in Stratford Ontario a fellow really wanted a painting I had done, and made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
Jazz Festival Main Stage, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, summer 2008 (No. 1084)
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