One more for the record book, this painting was done from a vantage point just behind the new mega-hospital near Vendome, looking south east. There is narrow ridge of a grassy hill here that slopes sharply in all directions. Below, the Turcot interchange project is in full swing (although no workers were there actually doing anything at the time- it was Sunday). The ramp under construction looks like it will connect the main downtown highway to the new St. Jacques bridge and Avenue St. Jacques into NDG when it is done. We are hoping there is a bike path too that will connect NDG directly to Ville St. Henry and Verdun. These kinds of paintings are really leaps of faith, you sit down on location make a few decisions and then hope for the best. The amount of detail in the actual scene was absurd- for clarity I simplified the skyscrapers and the twisted mess of highways. The little details like the construction vehicles and the grassy hill, and the foliage throughout set the stage. I was sure to include as many traffic cones as possible, using a mix of windsor red, lemon yellow, and a touch of rose madder- a mix that I like to call 'Montreal orange' mais oui?
It took a little while to complete this one, thanks to Cilei for heading out there with me by bike and waiting patiently!
8 x 10" hot press (block) Watercolour, Sept. 2019
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