Trenholme Park, train tracks, NDG

All along Maisonneuve street, there are creeping vines taking over the disused telephone lines down by the train tracks. Poison ivy also grows down there in the summer so you have to be careful if you happen to be riding your bike along the path. I was sitting up on a hill at the back of Trenholme park (I seem to remember that it was called Victoria park, its between Sherbrooke and Maisonneueve and Park Row), trying to stay as far away as possible from other people. As a painter you tend to draw attention from curious onlookers, their kids, and their dogs! My priorities for finding locations right now in the midst of the pandemic: away from people, in the sunlight, the subject matter doesn't matter.

Recently I received three limited edition historical pigments, including lapis lazuli. They are really hard to use, I posted a blog on it for the Albania World Inspired painting. Lapis lazuli is an expensive natural version of ultramarine blue, it has a unique deep blue colour and granulating texture. The entire wall of the warehouse was done with lapis lazuli and some quinacridone red to give the purplish glow. To finish the painting I used neutral tint (PBk6, PB15, PV19) to get the train tracks, shadows, and the switching apparatus. The outline was bloodstone genuine, also a dark black tone. Usually I avoid black, but it gave a dark sooty feel to this gnarly industrial scene.

5 x 7" rough press, watercolour, April 2020