Lachine Canal Fall Colours

 

Veering off the bike path you find some great views of the canal and surrounding area which includes Lasalle on one side and Ville St. Pierre on the other. Ugly highway overpasses criss-cross the landscape, I seldom try to paint them but it sets a tone. I used carbon black for the highway to make it really stand out against an otherwise colourful scene. Getting the colour of the water is tricky, it is a shimmering navy blue with hints of green and magenta. 

Lachine Canal and Bike Path, 4 x 6", hot press, watercolour, October 2020 

Train bridges also cross the canal at several points. I painted this train bridge almost exactly one year ago, if you click the link you see a big difference in the scene itself... they finished the canal improvements and filled it with water, although the graffiti is still there. That PJD 2020 guy sure likes to make graffiti! The other difference is in the mixtures- in 2019 I was convinced that all shadows contain blue paint which you see in the first version, however, I since learned about the myth of blue shadows, and started using neutralizing complements and carbon black. The result here is a more natural looking scene. The brush work and textures are very good in this painting, probably the result of the almost non-stop painting I've been doing in 2020.

Lachine Canal, Train Bridge Fall, 5 x 7", cold press, watercolour, October 2020 

 

I found a bench off the bike path to sit and have a snack, it was the perfect place to sit, but the landscape view was boring, just a straight angle on the canal and some scrub trees. As I sat trying to relax, my artists eye started to notice details. The variations in yellow, orange, and olive greens of the sumac leaves against the bright blue sky made the perfect composition. Looking up was where the scene was! Getting a flat blue wash like this using phthalo blue paint is very difficult, it almost worked perfectly but you stills see some smudges. After painting a lot this year, my artists eye has also gained some extra skill. Hopefully the fall colours tick around another week or two, with rain and wind it usually knocks off the leaves.

Lachine Canal Sumac Leaves, 4 x 6", hot press, watercolour, October 2020