The Montreal Birch Tree

I ran out of paper recently so popped by the art store in westmount, Av des Arts and picked some more Winsor and Newton cold press, a new kind of paper from Strathmore that has recycled fibres, and the shop keeper threw in a free rough press piece which was nice. I also picked up a new Holbein brush, small palette, and some new paint including lemon yellow 15mL (PY175 Holbein), leaf green 5mL ( (PY154 + PG7 Holbein) and graphite grey (PBk10 Schmincke). On the way back I turned off the bike path and found a secluded spot to make this painting of a birch tree that has been struggling to survive here in the middle of an exposed patch of grass surrounded by the old bike path. In the background you see the road and the retaining wall that has a colourful mural on it. I couldn't resist trying out the new leaf green, so I opened it on location and squeezed some out. You can see the grassy area has a 'nuclear' green appearance. Intentionally I over did the effect just to see what the paint could do. Also used it in the pine tree along with benzi orange. Quite like the leaf green paint. 

Side note, all of the greys were based on venetian red with variations including bone black, indo blue, or yellow ochre and it worked great, the venetian red is a dull earth red with slight granulation. When I say perfect, the colour of the path surrounding the tree was near identical to the colour of the actual asphalt. My long quest for painting perfect asphalt may be finally over. 
 

The Montreal Birch Tree 4 x 6" cold press, watercolour, April 2021 (No. 2628a)

 

Above is a sample test of the graphite grey (PBk10) from Schmincke. The pigment is literally what is used in a pencil, but finely divided and prepared as a watercolour paint. It paints out opaquely and blends nicely with water for delicate graded washes. The reason I wanted to try this paint was to see if I could use it for making outlines, and also to attempt grey scale painting. When you omit colour, it forces you as an artist to appreciate value (light/dark). It should be a neat exercise to try on location if the subject matter is right, maybe an industrial scene.

Graphite Grey Test 0.5 x 5" (No. 2620a bottom )