Mile End Retrospective

When I first moved to Montreal (the first time I was born there!), I asked the landlord if there were restaurants or anything interesting in the neighborhood. In fact, the Mile End was a hot spot for entertainment, people were fighting over rentals in the neighborhood just because of how 'hipster' it was. Nowadays the rent is high and it has gentrified, meaning that the cool cheap stores and restautrants closed up and moved elsewhere. One standout is Club Social, a popular cafe known for coffee, tea, and a great sitting area on the corner of Av d l'Esplanade and St. Viateur. In the mornings you can smell the fresh bagels cooking down at St. Viateur bagel. I made this painting awhile ago, it captures the hustle bustle of the cafe patrons, with an apparition-like car in the foreground.

Club Social, watercolour 6 x 8" cold press, 2007 (No. 1074)

 

Determined to capture the local landscape, I found a quasi-industrial scene up on Van Horne. This row of old factories had been turned into small business and antique stores. I have not been back in awhile, probably rows of Condos now. I payed attention to the traffic lights, cars, and even the billboard. If I had done this painting now, I would have put my initials on the car's license plate!

Car and Green Lights (Van Horne), watercolour 5 x 8" cold press, 2007 (No. 1071)

 

Here is a similar scene on a different corner, complete with graffiti, cars and detailed traffic lights. Judging by the sky it may have been done on the same day as the last one. At least I  had written the location and date on the back of this one.

Busy Corner (Bernard x Parc), watercolour 4.5 x 9" cold press, 2007 (No. 1070)

 

The cracks on the road make interesting lines, in this composition I included Parc avenue in all its faults. The foreground is anchored by a recycling bin, and the background shows the bottom portion of a fruit delivery truck. This is just in front of the Mile End Fruiterié, a famous location that is still there. If I go back perhaps I will make a painting of the store, it is very brightly coloured.

Fruit Truck, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 2010 (No. 1072)

 

This was done just across Parc Avenue at the beginning of Outremont at a small park between the grocery stores. Orange tiger lilies made a nice contrast against the purplish bench. Considering I did not understand colours at the time, it was remarkable that I could capture that range of colours. The purple was probably cerulean blue, french ultramarine and rose madder genuine or permanent rose perhaps I had both. It was an ambitious painting, and I can tell there were minimal outlines made. Now, those benches are painted differently each time by various artists, like physically painted. One of my next painting trips should be out there again.

Purple Bench with Tiger Lilies (Outremont) watercolour 5 x 7" cold press,