Winter Painting Memories of London Ontario

Shortly after I started painting outdoors, winter was upon us and I forged ahead into the cold. These mallard ducks were rather incredibly hanging out in the extreme cold, it must have been 20 below Celsius. There was some bread and crumbs there so a passerby must have fed them. I made two paintings of this scene, the previous one did not turn out as clear as this one. There was probably some alcohol in the water but not salt at the time. 

Mallards, Winter by the River, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1996 (No. 0449)

 

These were among my first experiences painting outdoors in the winter. It was very peaceful, with all the snow and the cavernous stadium devoid of any people. Getting all the brushwork in was a chore here, I recall the challenge it entailed. The background is really neat, the sky has that yellowish haze, and the office towers are shades of blue and grey.

Western Mustangs, Bleachers, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1996 (No. 0453)

 

This was done on my walk down the Thames river towards where the mallard paintings were done. The river has some shallow rapids at this point, and the sun was sparkling off the rippling water. Being backlit created an array of blue shadows and silhouettes.

Thames River, though the trees, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1996 (No. 0454)