Some paintings become more than just a sum of their parts- its is true that every painting is merely paint applied in a clever way to a piece of absorbent paper- but the best paintings are the ones where you can just forget that its a painting and enjoy the moment. Looking at this one, its like a recording of my experience of the moment. I was actually in a rush to get some errands done and it was getting dark fast, so I grabbed the first place to sit I could find, on one of the benches in Benny park looking south towards the direction of the Benny sports complex and the ugly apartment building on Sherbrooke in the distance. The sky had two layers- a very delicate pale orange/blue wash with heavier purplish clouds. As the sun sank, a pink glow overcame the scene and I managed to get in some pink highlights while the clouds were still wet. The orange windows in the distant apartment create a sense of people turning their interior lights on, creating colours that are matched only by the brilliant fall trees. From MacEvoy's Handprint.com I learned that green is more visible in the dark, and knowing this has allowed me to see it, then paint it. The green grass and foliage shines.
Despite all those bits and pieces, this painting represents a moment, and when you look at the painting, you are sitting next to me on those bleachers next to the baseball diamond in Benny park watching the sun set with me. Wearing a mask of course!
Sunset, Benny Park with Fall Trees, 5 x 7" cold press, watercolour, October 2020
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