Saturday Painting Trip: Parc Jean-Drapeau and Verdun

 

Going for a bike today was a real pleasure- brand new bike with all the gears and brakes working perfectly, and a bright sunny, albeit chilly, September day. I made it out to Saint Helen's Island which contains Jean-Drapeau Park where they used to hold summer music concerts. There was a small live music show there today, I could here the sounds echoing from somewhere. They made numerous renovations to the area, interlocking paving stones, wood benches, and flower gardens now surround the entire metro station. Jean-Drapeau metro is part of the yellow line, which begins at Berri-Uquam, stops on the island (seen in this painting), and terminates at Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke station on the south shore. I couldn't resist putting the handlebars of my new bike in the painting. The grip, components, and headset are all jet black. The metal mesh dome with flag in the background is from Expo 67 the inaugural event held on this human-made island wonder. 

8 x 10" cold press, watercolour, September, 2020

 In Verdun I found an interesting set of buildings that looks a lot like an old military barracks, I saw similar architecture at a London Ontario barracks. The use of these buldings is shrouded in mystery, no sign, no hints, but on Google map it is listed as a City waterworks, which makes sense considering it is right next to the aqueduct.Getting the brick colour correct was key to this painting (and keeping the lines straight!). I used a complex mix of raw sienna, benzimida orange, and small amounts of black paint, then diluted. It came out looking exactly like what I saw! This year I have learned how to recognize three properties of colour namely hue, chroma, and value. With this knowledge I am also learning how to replicate those properties with paint, all thanks to Handprint.com (MacEvoy). 

Verdun 10, 6.5 x 7" cold press, watercolour, September 2020

 

On the way back to home I rode along the bike path that runs through the north part of Verdun near the aqueduct. This building caught my eye and I slammed on the brakes. Once the sun came out from over a cloud, I set up my gear and started making the outline. Sure enough, a giant fire truck showed up and parked in front of the building blocking the view for about 10 minutes. At first I thought this building was lonely but then I realized it was a very social building, it had trucks visiting it, and a painter painting it! The red, blue, yellow elements were really there, they play well against all the other greys. I intentionally painted the back-lit clouds this way for maximum intensity. It is on Bannantyne Avenue and Dupuis street.

Verdun 11, 6.5 x 7" cold press, watercolour, September 2020

I was surprised to find yet another blue-topped Verdun borough sign, this one near Jolicoeur Bridge. They had a flower/garden sign depicting cyclists and starbursts, the rest of the scene was framed in blue pine and deciduous trees. The sun was low, which cast an amber glow on the scene. This makes 4 paintings of borough signs, will I find anymore of them? 

Verdun 12, 6.5 x 7" cold press, watercolour, September 2020