Mount Saint-Hilaire

Great views can be had in Quebec, this one was from atop Mount Saint-Hilaire a nature reserve and conference Center owned and operated by McGill University popular for hiking in the summer. The direction of this painting is roughly looking northeast, towards Sherbrooke and Quebec City, although neither are actually visible. Looking to the left slightly one could see Mount Royale and Montreal however there were too many bushes and tourists to get a clear view.

Painting on location is extra challenging one needs to find a place to sit and a nice view, not to mention some peace and quiet to reflect on the energy of the scene. In this case the mountain top was very crowded, so when I was painting this scene the entire view except for the rocks was obscured by about 30 or so tourists. Afterwards they cleared out and I could see that the river actually had a much more 'ess' shape to it, while in the painting it is more of a series of arcs, but it still gets the feeling across. Several people looked at this while I was doing it, they though I was famous!

11.5 x 8 " (28 x20 cm) cold press, Watercolour, September 2016