It is not very often that I paint religious buildings, but this scene was poignant. A brilliant geranium in a chartreuse flowerpot caught my eye, I had brought pyrolle vermilion (PR255) on my palette and it would make the perfect colour. Then I noticed the teddy bear and toddlers shoes lined up along the staircase and realized that this was a memorial (or message) regarding more than 200 indigenous children's remains found at a residential school in Kamloops British Columbia recently. The grand entrance to the Catholic church was built to be welcoming, but seeing the stark evidence of the tragedy that unfolded not that long ago was impactful, and passerby's were stopping to look. In the background is Loyola Campus and the building where my office is located, topped by the greenhouse. Choosing to paint this scene may have been political, but in the end I painted what I saw. Now I will go back to my policy of not painting pictures that feature religious buildings, a decision I made many years ago.
Geraniums, Catholic Church, 5 x 7" cold press, watercolour, June 2021 (No. 2684)
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