During my tour of east Montreal the locations have been more of a challenge due to people and trying to socially distance. I bring a mask on the trips in case of crowds, but generally set up away if possible. Prefontaine station is the first one on my tour in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, and I noticed wider streets, more trees, and better sight lines. Behind the station is a large wooded park that you can just see on the skyline in the painting. The station itself is like some kind of psychedelic bunker or landed UFO, they built these complex triangular yellow forms with relfective blue-green glass. The bus stop waiting enclosure had an artificial screen on it making an ethereal glow. The road had been freshly paved recently, but the sun was already bleaching it, so I captured the interesting road colour transitioning from dark blue to faded brown. The entrance to the station is hiding off the to center right. 8 x 10" cold press, watercolour, July 2020
Having chosen the smaller format for the second painting, I tried to keep the amount of detail down, but then the bike post, and the bike, and the signs, and the stores in the distance... the main focus was supposed to be the edge of the crazy yellow and purple roof of the station! My brush wiggled at the worst moment causing the front tire of the bike to look pretty broken. To get the white highlights on the back tire I had to leave that blank when I put down the heavy concrete colour. 6 x 7.5"cold press, watercolour, July 2020
Before traveling to a location I do a little reading on wikipedia and look on google maps for scouting information. I was really excited when I saw Prefontaine station, it was the wildest station by far in the Green Line, and it looked even better in person. It is the only one so far to use a semi-spherical horizontal arrow, it is even encased in a giant semi-spherical plexiglass dome. For good measure they surrounded it by orange brick which looks great with the yellow-orange space age stuff, and the warm earth tones of the concrete. I finally had a nice bench to sit on in the shade for this painting, so I really took my time with the details and the background. It felt so good I almost went to the next station to make it three in one day, but I knew it was time to head home and beat the heat. 8 x 10" cold press, watercolour, July 2020
I made a quick sketch of the main structure that you see in the first painting, where I had no idea what I was looking at. Up close, you see that the mirror glass is in the shape of a rhombus, interlocking, and housed by an A-frame roof. It resembles a greenhouse with protruding ends. Reflected light was making highlights on the ground, almost prismatic. Inside, you could see angled concrete surfaces scored with parallel grooves. Some of the structure and trees behind were seen through the glass. 8 x 11" sketchbook, pencil, July 2020
I loved these three watercolours. They made me to wish to be there.
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