I saw this scene the other day when the weather was overcast, but I knew it would be best to come back when the sun was shining. These are milkweed plants in Trenholme park, they are turning yellow and lime green with some splashes of orange. The blue bin gives a great colour contrast to the yellow milkweed leaves. Including bins might not be to everybody's taste, but they can provide a lot of composition, for example, in this painting the entire design hinges on the bin. The curved path, the flowers, and the end of the bleacher stands that I was sitting on all emanate from the image of the blue bin. Capturing the milkweeds was done with several layers, and a bit of brushwork at the end to get the shapes of the leaves.
Trenholme Park, Milkweed and Blue Bin, 5 x 7", cold press, watercolour, October 2020
Veering off the path I found a secret field, located up a landscaped embankment between two highways. It is a large (perhaps an acre) of land that they planted with local flora. For this scene I sat right at the edge of the landscaped area which has newly planted grass and trees, and on the left you see that brown stuff, its the naturalized field. The scene here shows many layers of fall trees, with Mont Royal in the background. On the mountain there is a depiction of Montreal General Hospital which is where I was apparently born, although I have no recollection. I quite like this painting, it brings in elements of Hiroshige the great Japanese print designer.
View of Mount Royal from the Secret Field, 5 x 7", cold press, watercolour, October 2020
I couldn't resist going into the field, there was a small path that was probably from deer or rabbits that I followed until a reached a narrow rocky surface where I could set up my chair. Sitting in amongst the plants everything was nearly silent, the sounds of the city a distant hum. There wasn't any trash on the ground or any signs of people being here. I could see the nearby shopping mall through the vines, it looked like nature was engulfing the mall! The sun was warm and the sky was blue. I did another painting here from the same spot of a yellow poplar and green tree.
View of Mall from the Secret Field, 4 x 6", cold press, 300lbs. watercolour, October 2020
Without much sunlight left I swung by Park Angrignon which had incredible fall coloured leaves, however, it was also crawling with people making it hard to find a secluded spot. We still in the midst of the pandemic so I am avoiding painting in places where there are a lot of people. They tend to want to see what you are doing and look, or they annoyingly walk past, so it was best to move on. Maybe I will go there early one morning. In the dying light I sat for this painting of the footbridge across the canal, which leads up the road to park Angrignon eventually. I omitted the black fence railings from the edge of the canal.
Lachine Canal Footbridge (to Angrignon), 5 x 7", cold press, watercolour, October 2020
Without missing a beat I turned to this mighty tree trunk that was reflecting the setting sun. In the top left is the bike path, to the right of the tree is the beginning of the footbridge. As you can tell the paint was not drying here, the whole painting was a puddle of watercolour. I had put down the tree trunk first knowing that if it dried, I could put on the bark detailing. It is wise to consider you center of interest and make sure it will be completed. In the dusk I was also getting pretty cold having not dressed for a temperature drop. I got it done and made it home in time for coffee.
Mighty Tree Trunk, Sunset, 4 x 6", cold press, 300lbs. watercolour, October 2020
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