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)