Saturday Bike Ride and a Few Paintings

 

Once again my plan was Park Jean Drapeau, but by the time I arrived at the canal path it was teeming with people not wearing masks. I turned right instead and found a spot well away from the bike path, secure with my fresh medical mask, and made this painting of the canal and dry reeds. In the background is an old industrial park that is being gentrified, there is a hipster craft brew restaurant underneath that rusty water tower. I painted the scene closer up, sitting on the other side of the canal last year. The water was umber plus indo blue, and the reflections the same mix but leaning to umber and darker. The reeds were similar, with raw sienna and burnt sienna.

Lachine Canal with Reeds 5 x 8" cold press, watercolour, April 2021 (No. 2623a)

 

Instead of forging ahead, I turned back into Ville St. Henri and found a secluded parking lot up by the highways. To my surprise there was a pile of snow remaining, covered in a sooty mess of gravel and sand. Trees in the middle ground were sprouting leaf buds, and a brick wall had been spray painted with my initials and 21 graffiti. Well, I made up the graffiti part it actually said something else but I copied the silver and black design. For the snow pile I wet the area and applied gray ochre with a dab of indo blue, then overlaid with more grey ochre and venetian red. I liked the soft crumbly appearance against the sharp background elements. Lets hope this is the last snow for awhile.

Last Snow Pile, 5 x 8" cold press, watercolour, April 2021 (No. 2624a)