Mont Royal, Montreal

Up on Mont Royal there are several kilometers of trails winding around the forest with spectacular views of the city. Here, the view is looking northwards, the buildings are part of Outremont or the village of Mt Royal. I liked the fact that the tree was blocking most of the view, and the city-scape was kind of peeking through the bushes. There were a lot of people around so they were looking over my shoulder from time to time.

Traditionally, watercolour is meant to be painted from light to dark, meaning that the lighter parts go on the paper before the darker parts. I usually follow this rule because it keeps the water clear for longer; If you start with dark and rinse your brush the water turns dark and cloudy right away and all the subsequent colours will be muddied. Another way I avoid this problem is to have two cups of water: one clean, one dirty. Just before I pick up fresh paint, I dip the brush in the clean water. By the end though, usually both cups of water are dirty! In this painting I completed the lighter background scenery and then overlaid the dark tree and leaves. You can see where the bark of the tree blended with the mid-ground foliage and turned green in the middle of the trunk. I liked the feeling that the tree was being absorbed by the landscape. The tree also looked like an orchestra conductor standing up and waving its arms.... The Maestro of Landscape?

5 x 7" cold press watercolour, Sept. 2019