Saturday Painting, Ride down to Verdun

 

Today was the tour de l'ile, a massive cycling event attended by thousands of local cyclists, professional and amateurs. In fact, anyone can attend, and I went a few times over the years. The course runs all around Montreal, but today I just wanted to avoid the path so as to not get caught up in it. Every weekend has been a tour de l'ile for me lately. This scene is in Ville St. Pierre, a small urban extension of Lachine. The restaurant is called la Belle Provence, they do hamburger, pizza and poutine of course. The cars didn't stick around for long, so I did my best to paint them from memory. The umbrellas are based on shades of pyrol red (PR254).

La Belle Provence, Ville Pierre, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3124b)

 

I was on my way to the canal path when a bicycle caught my eye, it was painted entirely in white and surrounded by flowers. At this intersection a cyclist had died last year in an accident and this bicycle had been installed as a memorial. Behind the scene was an incredible field of wild flowers, red-violet and yellow, with the ominous concrete Turcot overpasses in the background. A disused rail track was in and amongst the small field of flowers. It as a scene I just had to paint, and it became an instant classic.

Wild Flowers and the Highway Overpass, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3029)

 

The choppy water of the canal reminded me of a group of seven painting, minus the rocks and pine trees. I tackled the subject matter with a diagonal composition and impressionist brush strokes. The canal water reflects blue sky, but also shows its silty bottom. It was a lot darker than this, but I went for a lighter and more chromatic representation of the water.

Windy Day Lachine Canal, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3125b)

 

By now I had already made some decent paintings along the way and I hadn't even reached Verdun yet. Riding down 1^st Avenue, the Verdun Metro station was not far from the aqueduct. During my tour of the 68 stations of Montreal Metro, I visited this location and made several paintings. They were all a little bland though, I had just started using carbon black and may have overdid it. The new painting I did today shows the silhouettes of passengers inside of the station, framed by the industrial black structure of the station. The exterior is a sun-drenched view of Parc de Souvenir and the many bikes outside of the station.

Sunny Spring Day, Verdun Metro Station, Green Line, watercolour 8 x 10" Fabriano Artistico, June 2022 (No. 3028)

Riding my way around Verdun I made two more paintings of a Depanneur and de l'Eglise station but neither painting really worked out. I was ready to pack in for the day but the crowded scene on Wellington street was beckoning. If you look closely enough, the metro sign for de l'Eglise station is hidden under a tree. I worked on the top third of the painting and then filled in the chaos of the many pedestrians. One tip is to find a place to stand and paint where the crowd can not get to you, I was behind two large concrete planters. I also position my bike, which hold the water and brushes on the back saddle bag, so as to block people from walking too close to me.

Sidewalk Sales, Wellington Street Verdun, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2022 (No. 3126b)