A and W with Sun through Clouds

After picking up some made-in-China bike supplies at Canadian Tire I made a quick painting of this scene of the sun shining through the clouds over the local A and W restaurant. Never-ending cars streamed by the St. Jacques intersection. The scene was dreary but that was the point of the painting. You can really feel the muggy Montreal rush hour and smell the french fries. Oh sorry, Français fries, as we should say in Quebec, I mean, Québec.

A and W with Sun through Clouds, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3157a)

Morning Commuter Train

 

After dropping off the rental car I walked back to NDG over the pedestrian bridge and saw this scene of a morning commuter train heading towards downtown. The train was moving towards me so you see the front of it and the headlights glowing in the morning. I used a medium sized round brush, maybe number 8, to do most of the painting. Luckily the paint dried despite the 90% humidity allowing for a fairly complex set of layers. To make the headlight effect I started with a yellow outline of the headlights and made the yellow diffuse into the surrounding. Then I painted over with the tracks and train. All the foliage was done with perylene black (PBk31), benzi yellow (PY154), and a bit of indo blue (PB60) in the background.

Morning Commuter Train, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3156a)

Pink and Blue Sky, Montreal Panorama

 

This Panorama of Montreal can be seen up on the escarpment near the Hospital. A bike path, sidewalk and landscaping elements adorn the route. I have made many paintings from this vantage point and there are no end to the possibilities for new works. Artists painted the top of this building, so it has a pink house with a green roof, which was a nice counter point to the pink sky. Unfortunately it just started to rain and I had to get going before putting on the finishing touches, but the painting still carries the moment. Incidentally, the rain mostly held off for the rest of the evening.

Pink and Blue Sky, Montreal Panorama, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3154)

Ride along the River

 

It was a very windy day today, the wind was blowing full force down the St. Lawrence river. This wharf is in Lasalle, it belongs to a raft rental company, but there were no brave customers there today except for a pair of mallard ducks. A large group of ducks came by mid painting but I could not get them in the composition. To paint the choppy water I used the side-brush technique where the brush is about half loaded with paint and you scrape it across the grain. When dry, small brush strokes are placed over, and additional side-brush. The island in the Background is probably Goat Island right next to Heron Island.

Pair of Ducks on Wharf, St. Lawrence River, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3151)

As the wind whipped up the waves a kaleidoscope of colours was produced in the water. On the shore, the grass and shrubs were blowing to the left. I used a similar technique as the previous painting, a lot of side-brush including in the water and in the shore, then small brush strokes and additional texturing on top.

Choppy water, St. Lawrence River, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3152)

Painting the rapids is a big challenge, so today I tried a different approach. The bottom half of the painting was done with the side-brush technique, but the top half of the rapids was done entirely with small interlocking brush strokes. In this way I could control the colour variations in the splashing wavy water, and maintain the white highlights of the foamy crests. It worked out quite well, if you squint a bit, the scene is just as it was. This technique is reminiscent of impressionism, and also Tom Thompson the Canadian painter who did Jack Pine. In Jack pine, he painted the water with tight interlocking brush strokes of all different colours.

Seagulls and Lachine Rapids, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022

A final quick painting of the day, this is a foot bridge near the duck island, a fowl reserve for migratory birds. The island was accessible by foot only so I made this painting from the vantage point of Lasalle's Rapids Park, standing near the bike path. The composition was inspired by the Japanese prints, Hiroshige and Hokusai especially loved to make this kind of composition.

Foot Bridge near Duck Island, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3153a)

Rain Rain go Away

 After the morning showers cleared it seemed okay for a bike ride and some painting. The clouds were threatening rain so I stayed close to home and made this painting of a local dépanneur. Artists from all around come here to make paintings because it is so scenic and the busy traffic adds ambiance. Actually I am probably the first and last painter to do this scene (Cilei's joke). A passerby wondered what I was doing and then informed me that there was a scenic canal nearby where I could try painting. Hmm, I wonder which canal that could be?

Dépanneur Saga, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3037a)

 

The city installed a new path connecting the East part of the Turcot to the West part, I have already made a few paintings here including last winter. For this scene I was standing under a covered pedestrian area with some seats, looking west. If you look at the very top center there is a steel tower with an a frame shape, that is actually right next to the canal. 

New Path with View of Train Tracks and Highway, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3150a)

It actually started to rain so I waited it out under the Turcot. In front of me was a tangle of no less than seven highways. Hokusai once made a drawing called Seven Bridges with Mount Fuji, which inspired this design. The suspension bridge kind of looks like mount Fuji! Once goal I have is that people will recognize what model of car I painted, luckily a mini Cooper drove by they are very distinctive.

Seven highways, under the Turcot, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (Bolton Valley on back)

 

They had just sprayed parts of the landscaping with that turquoise grass mixture, which contrasted nicely with the different coloured grasses. The mulch was also brand new, it has a bright, pale orange colour. The benzi orange (PO62) worked perfectly.

New landscaping, hydro seed watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3133b)

 

Finally I looped back around the Lachine canal path to get home and made this grey day painting. The faded wash was applied first, then the rest of the scene worked up. I simplified the reflections on the canal to just give an idea. In the background you see one of the highways that connects to the Turcot interchange.

Grey Day, Lachine Canal watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3145b)

Cultural Center Perspective

 

The cultural center has quickly become the hub of our neighborhood. It is a meeting place, a learning place, an entertainment place. It was completed shortly after Cilei moved in with me, so just in time! Since then we have enjoyed the books, the music, the movies, the art displays and the live shows. I have also made a number of paintings of the facade, which has an abstract pattern and bright colours. It was how I figured out how to paint periwinkle! In this scene, the glossy red bricks are seen at an oblique angle to the sun, which creates a bleached effect. To capture the perspective I hold the brush out in front of me and match the angle, then move the brush to the paper to guide the main lines.

Cultural Center Perspective, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3149)

Summer Palette adjustments

 

A little brown, a lot of orange, the new summer palette adjustments. Since acquiring a lot of new paints since 2020, I am up to 70 in total, my palette has undergone a total overhaul. For summer of 2022 I added an extra orange paint called benzi orange (PO62) and removed Umber (PBr7). The other colours were shifted around musical chairs style. There are many earth colours to pick from and as you see in the top left there are a few extras to try out on location. The middle four on the top row are the darks, and the rightmost four are the green gamut. On the bottom are five high chroma warm colours and one blue primarily for sky. Off to the side is the trusty lamp black which is useful in small quantities. There was a time when I had no orange paints and only one earth paint (burnt sienna PR101), now about 1/3 of the paints here are earths or oranges.

Summer Palette adjustments, sketch book

Sunday Ride around the City

The bike ride started off on the normal route, east along Maisonneuve bike path, then I detoured over the train tracks at Grand Blvd where there is a pedestrian bridge. On St. Jacques street there was this interesting garage surrounded by an L-shaped Condo, as if the Garage owners had refused to sell and the developer just built around it. There was a great assortment of blues in this painting. My ability to paint cars has improved but there is still a ways to go.

Garage Montreal, St Jacques street, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3147)

 

At the new bridge there is a great view of the Turcot interchange, which I painted before. As I surveyed this panorama, I laughed to myself, it seemed impossible to paint. The main thing was to remind myself that it was just a painting, not a photograph! Some of the roads twist awkwardly and the rapidly moving cars look like they melted in the sun, but the overall feel is there. 

Turcot Panorama, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3041)

 

Following the canal path brings you downtown, and eventually Old Montreal. I turned up into the city just before Old Port, and found a mix of old industrial structures with new apartment high-rises. A cafe, cleverly built into an old garage, emanated a strong smell of coffee onto the street. This scene shows a variety of condos, some are repurposed factories, others are new steel and glass constructions. Some people were sun bathing on top of the central building.

Rise of the Apartments, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3148)

 

An enormous construction site occupied an entire block, it was a gaping hole going down about two or three stories. Oddly, there was an old heritage facade on the street, behind, it was gutted and supported by steel and wood framing. It seemed that the developers were obliged to keep the facade intact and were building the apartment around it. I found a nook to peek in, you see the fence and the warning sign, behind, you see the back of the heritage building, and more of the city in the background. This was a real painting of opportunity!

Peeking into Construction Site, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3042)

Scenes from Little Italy, Parc-Ex and Mile End

 

St. Laurent boulevard was closed for pedestrians only, which provided an interesting vantage point of the oncoming traffic. There were concrete blocks and barriers which were omitted from the painting to give a sense of standing in traffic. All the cars had to turn left here much to their annoyance. I tried to sketch out the cars the best I could considering most of them were moving, then filled in the scenery and car parts. It had rained all day and was still overcast. You can see my initials in one of the puddles!

Oncoming Traffic, Little Italy, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3145a)

 

On the approach to Mile End there is a prominent water tower, heavily rusted. I found this view from Parc-Ex, looking over the trees that line the train tracks. Most of the painting was grey and green, with the rusty water tower providing warm contrast. Seagulls flew off in the distance, they are the easiest thing to paint.

Rusty Water Tower in Mile End, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3146)

 

Mile End is (or was?) a cool place to live, there are many shops and restaurants although all of my old favorites are closed now. This dépanneur had an impressive facade, and the balconies hanging over the sidewalk completed the feel. Across the street there was a live accordion playing at a cafe, so I had some music to paint by.

Dépanneur Marche a Epicerie, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3037b)

Applied Physiology Laboratory

It seemed like I was done painting for the day after the morning's efforts, but then torrential rain struck in the late afternoon. Riding it out downstairs in the applied physiology laboratory (aka "my" laboratory), I decided to try an interior scene. Working on another Cezanne-inspired theme, this painting is essentially a still-life composition but instead of apples and table cloths there are microscopes and bottles. Everything was bathed in an eerie turquoise light. The robot-looking thing in the foreground is called an Alpha-Innotech imaging system. Twenty five years ago it was state-of-the art, complete with a 10 megapixel high speed camera and multiple light sources. It also costed fifty thousand Canadian dollars back when it was new on the market, and I remember my supervisor asking the Robart's institute to pay for one. This is a different unit of course, I inherited it from the previous occupants of the laboratory. Just today, with time to pass, I managed to get it working again and took an image of my hand just to see if it worked. So good news it still works, and it was free!
 

Applied Physiology Laboratory, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3144)

Bakery and Butter Truck

This scene was on Harley street with the Snowdon Bakery on the left and a butter truck on the right. I didn't know butter trucks were a thing, never having seen one before, but there it was complete with an elaborate refrigeration system. The driver who must have been delivering butter to the bakery quickly returned and drove off before I could get a single brush stroke down, thus the butter truck was done completely from memory. Testing out some more of Cézanne's painting style, I deliberately warped the scenery to create a plunging sidewalk and disjointed building structure, with several perspective points. He did this in his later works, which inspired cubism and abstract art.
 

Bakery and Buttter Truck, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3143a)

Two Chairs in a Field with Aspen Seeds

After a night's rain the aspen? seeds were a little soggy in the field but still created a striking effect. First, the chairs were outlined and partially filled in, then wet-in-wet was used to outline the fuzzy poplar seeds. While still moist, warm and cool washes were applied to the seed casing, and little yellow ochre and raw sienna dots to represent the seeds. The foliage and grass was done with many small interlocking brush strokes. Recently I was given a coffee-table book on Cezanne the impressionist painter and I learned more about his way of constructing paintings. He explored the underlying geometry and geography of a scene, and then applied luxurious textures and careful brush strokes. It also took him hundreds of hours to complete each canvas. Today I could just squeeze in a few paintings before and after work hours. Done in the morning, the commuter train was whipping by in the background behind the tree line.
 

Two Chairs in a Field with Aspen Seeds, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3036b)

Two Chairs in a Field

Down by the train tracks at the end of Harley street is a small field that occasionally has chairs. These chairs were upside-down and cast aside so I flipped them over and tossed them on the grass. The grass was actually covered in a cotton-like seed casing from some nearby poplar trees but I kept it simple today. If things pan out tomorrow I will go and do a better job of it on lunch hour.
 

 Two Chairs in a Field, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3036a)

Strawberry Moon

Tonight there was a strawberry super moon! It was at its height 12:35 AM, in the painting it was just past midnight and the strawberry moon was rising. The sky was indo blue (PB60) with pyrol orange (PO73) and some perylene green (PBk31) where it blends into nearly black. In the foreground there was a street lamp illuminating the trees and condo which gave the illusion that the moon was illuminating them.  Strawberry Moon over Condo, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3139)

 

Down the street a bit there was a great view of it over the fire station. A few adjustments were made to the moon effect, a darker corona was used and the colour fades were more elaborate. To make the brick colours at night, earth paints such as raw sienna (PBr7) and burnt ochre (PR102) were mixed with carbon black (PBk6).

Strawberry Moon over Fire Station, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3140)

 

Finally it was at its peak! This scene was true to the reality, have you ever seen a strawberry moon? 

Strawberry Moon in the Sky, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3141a)

 

On the way back this scene was interesting. The colour scheme in the sky was similar to Van Gogh, but with less madness. Time to head home. This was the 30th painting of the month, not that I like to count but there is a facebook thing where you have to paint 30 paintings in 30 days. Check.  

Strawberry Moon with Tree, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3141b)

Auto Shop near Decarie

 

To paint this one I rode down the Maissoneuve bike path after work and stopped at the Girouard overpass near the Decarie. The sidewalk was wide enough to stop my bike and do the painting from a standing position as usual. Luckily I finished painting the car before the owner got in and drove off, he looked at me a few times wondering why I was painting his auto shop. I even got the garbage bag into the scene! To depict the old bricks I used combinations of earth paints and then overlaid the brick shapes and dark grouting. Neutralizing the earth paints can be done by mixing in some perylene green (PBk31) it gives that 'Montreal' brown colour prevalent in the aged bricks, concrete and plaster walls.

Auto Shop near Decarie, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3138)

Bus Stopping with Construction

 

As summer approaches so does the endless construction projects. Its the endless summer, complete with neon orange signs. To paint the bus stopping, I sketched out the painting using dilute carbon black paint, and then started to fill in the right side while waiting for the bus to arrive. When it arrived, I quickly sketched it in and memorized the details. Eventually a second one came by which allowed me to capture even more detail. The fire hydrant was done with an interesting combination of quin violet (PV19) with benzi yellow (PY154) and a touch of pyrol red (PR254). That mixture produces an aged red, like the paint has been there for twenty years. The neon sign was pyrol orange (PO73) with the benzi yellow. To complete a painting like this you have to stick with it, there is a lot of detail and you are never sure how it will look until its done. I quite like this one, it really captures the chaos of the moment and typifies Montreal.

Bus Stopping with Construction, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3137)

Treasures in the Rough

 

Not far from where we live there is a light industrial area that runs along the bike path on Maisonneuve next to the train tracks. For an artist these are treasures in the rough. We never know what we have until we miss it, and just in the last month they knocked down three of these old buildings and prepped the land for condo development. It may not be long before these remaining few memories are gone so it seemed worth a few paintings. The alley has been painted 'powder blue' also known as periwinkle. It is a tough colour to get right, I worked out the best formula while painting the cultural center. The car wash entrance is just visible to the right, it is fully functional although closed on Sunday evening apparently.

Atlas Car Wash with Alley, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3035)

 

This is a profile of the structure, it was the first painting I made upon arriving on location. To prepare I wore high socks, jeans, and solid boots because the only place to stand between the bike path and the fence is known to be full of poison ivy. It was also very humid after a whole day of rain. To get the brick colour I applied burnt yellow ochre (PR102) and then lifted some areas to give the old faded white wash appearance.

Atlas Car Wash Perspective, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3135)

 

I painted a similar scene in the winter on a cold day. Today the sun was down and the light from the yellow sports car was reflecting on the entrance and surrounding bricks. The yellow reflections were exaggerated quite a bit, I even put some in the sky, as if the car were radiating yellow light. It does create an eerie scene.  

Atlas Car Wash with Yellow Sports Car, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3136)

 

Rainy Day Abstracts

As the rain continues I decided to make a blog about some recent abstract paintings I did while cleaning the palette. This painting picks up on some themes from an old painting called the 2010 solution. The main differences stylistically are the new, intense colours owing to a light and bright palette. In the past there was no orange paint in my palette, and limited red and earth. It would be neat to repaint the 2010 solution, maybe if it keeps raining I should do that!

Domino Effects, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, June 2022 (No. 3033a)

 As seen on TV is a slogan they put on merchandise that had been advertised on TV. Nowadays most people just buy things on line,  without really watching TV so the concept might be a little out of date. This painting also looked like an artistic TV dinner with the different areas for potato, peas, and mystery meat.

As Seen on Me-V, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3031b)

To create the sparkle effect, I dragged the brush quickly across cold press paper. With practice the pressure on the brush and the moisture can be precisely controlled.  As you can see I was cleaning off the earth paints on my palette and making a few changes. Last stand represents the last trees in an area.  Deforestation is worse than ever on the planet but does not get much press anymore.

Last Stand, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3132b)

Ride into Lachine

 

After painting some nature scenes along the shoreline of the St. Lawrence river I turned my attention to the small village of Lachine where I grew up as a boy. This restaurant is on the main drag Bd St-Joseph but the doors and windows were shuttered, with bad wear and tear on the exterior. On the front door, the it said 'close due to COVID-19'. For the painting I moved the inscription to the flanking door, which must have been a garage door that opened for summer dining. It doesn't look like this restaurant is set to open any time soon.

Restaurant Topaze Closed due to COVID-19, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3134)

 

In what must have been a century plus-old building was a modern Dépanneur chain called Provisoir. I couldn't resist doing this one, the bricks had an intense brick-red with blackened lines and heavy texture. A bus went by and I managed to squeeze it in. In the background is a massive factory complex no longer in use, unfortunately I couldn't get close enough for a painting.

Dépanneur Provisoir Lachine, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3133b)

 

A bike path runs along the north part of Lachine adjacent to the old disused train tracks and near LaSalle Park. The sun was full on here, with the entire scene backlit. Since it was a cool breezy day I was able to stand and paint, in full summer heat I would need to find shade. I painted fast and tried to capture the contrast of the old industrial with the new growth and greenery. These are the same tracks I painted recently in Ville St. Pierre. Don't worry though, there are no trains on these tracks anymore, there are even trees and shrubs growing over them.

Train switch, Lachine, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3032b)

 

 

Ride West along the Shoreline

Riding the bike west from NDG along the shore there are a number of nice parks along the way including Millenium park. This scene shows a small boardwalk and a row of peony bushes. To accentuate the water, phthalo blue was added. In fact the St. Lawrence river is mostly dark blue with brownish tints. The peony flowers were pyrol red (PR254) with quin magenta (PR122).

Boardwalk, Millenium Park, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3032a)

 

The next scene was on the way back east, some ducks were swimming under the trees. At the shore line, many trees were partially submerged, perhaps the sea level is rising even in the river. The ducks would not stay still, they were busy preening their feathers. The small island off in the distance is probably Dixie Island, as seen from Summerlea Park. 

Ducks under the Trees, Summerlea Park, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3133a)

 

 A bit further eastward was Stoney point park, and a whole group of ducks sleeping in the shade.A tangle of roots and shadows camouflaged the ducks. An outline was first made to depict the animals, then the rest of the grey, green brown and blue was filled in. A lot of umber (PBr7) was used in the landscape, trees, and water accents.

Ducks Resting, Stoney Point Park watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3031a)

 

Storm Clouds over Campus

It called for rain today but there was not much at all, just a few drops. I carried my umbrella around all day expecting it to rain as I went back and forth between the office and the laboratories. Towards the lunch hour I made a quick painting of the imposing storm clouds and the greenhouse that sits atop the campus building. For the bricks, raw sienna (PBr7) was used to capture the correct colour. Right at the end of the painting, the sun came out and an interesting shadow emerged. It was done by mixing the raw sienna and the brownish mixture used for the roof top elements.

Storm Clouds over Campus, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3132a)

Every Last Brushstroke

 In the old days the paintings I did would pile up on a shelf, mostly unseen. Nowadays every brushstroke eventually appears on the internet via blogger, facebook and instagram. It has no doubt affected me, in a good way hopefully. If a scene has a good story to tell it makes for a better blog. In this painting I was mainly just cleaning the palette off, in fact I was gearing up for some night painting but felt exhausted and painted at home. The painting has a nice balance of pastels and browns with a bit of indigo and magenta throughout. The tentacle suggests some sort of underwater scene, maybe its the octopuses' garden?

Every Last Brushstroke, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, June 2022(No. 3033b)

Community Center, Harley Street

 

Harley street is a small street in a neighborhood south of the train tracks where the bakery, fruiterie, and a community center are located. I have made plenty of paintings down there due to its unique character and proximity to my office since I do these paintings quickly on lunch hour. The door and facade to the right is the community center entrance. On the left is a strip mall, mostly vacant. Somebody tried to sell me a pair of sunglasses for $80,000 dollars but I declined, mainly because I already had a pair of sun glasses. The car worked out pretty good here, and you may see some reflections. Even the simplest of scenes can have a lot of interesting and challenging elements to paint. 

Community Center, Harley Street watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3131a)

Plateau Evening Scenes

On my way to pick up the vegetables, our new pickup point is in the Plateau neighborhood, I stopped to make a few paintings. This scene is looking north on the narrow Rivard street with the sun below the horizon. The cars and buildings were catching the last highlights from a pale orange sunset. A prominent flowering bush occupied the left of the composition, while the central and right portions were cars and classic Plateau architecture. 

 Sundown on Rivard Street, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3129)

 

As the sun was down, the lighting started to change at the front of the Dépanneur. The neon red Ouvert and ATM signs were casing reflected red light on the overhand and support beam. In the interior an yello-orange glow illuminated the contents of the shop. A car in the foreground reflected the elements off its roof. It took longer than usual to work up this painting, and midway a strong flood light came on in the shop which obscured the subtle light and shadow effect but I was able to finish. This time of day is very difficult to paint because everything is so subtle.

Dépanneur Lily, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3130)

By the time I was riding home the sky had turned to indigo and the artificial lights were becoming more prominent. This was a daunting scene, I stared at it for quite some time before giving it a go. The main focal point was the sign in the upper right and its effect on the brick facade. I lost count of how many light sources were in the painting, at least seven or eight it seemed. As with the last painting, it took a longer than usual time to complete this one, when painting night paintings it is important to cover the whole surface excepting the light points to create the illusion of luminosity. The whitest white is no more than the paper showing through, so you have to conjure up the light, contrast, and reflected colours to complete the effects. It was busy that night, Mont Royal street was pedestrian only.

Restaurant Fameux, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022

World Inspired Landscapes: Georgia

Georgia is a small country towards eastern Europe that is rich in landscapes including mountains and beaches. Unfortunately about one third of the country has been invaded and occupied by an adjacent country including coastal and interior mountain land.  Instead of depicting the most obvious scene which would have been a collage of angular green mountains and a river-valley, I went for a cave scene which is also common in Georgia. Several caves are tourist destinations, so the locals have set up a series of board walks and coloured flood lamps within the caves to make for better selfies. The combination of coloured lights stalactites and stalagmites made for an abstract scene that none the less still resembled a cave, complete with an illuminated pool of water in the bottom right. 

To paint the cave I had to establish a convincing outline that gave the geological features along with the general structure of a cave. Then the value contrasts created an illusion of flood lights in an otherwise pitch black cave. Adding the green section in the background helped to bring out the red section and give the sense of depth and gloom. Finally the water was a kaleidoscope of reflecting colours.

World Inspired Landscapes: Georgia, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3128b)