Today was a real scorcher, over 40℃ with the humidity factored in. To combat the heat I got out early on my bike to pick up some spices and tea at the excellent bulk store Anatol Spices. The staff are really friendly there, they are both owners and operators... young people who took over the business from their parents who had run it for decades. The scene was backlit, with just some light starting to fall on the landscaped pots and interlocking bricks.
Anatol Spices, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2022 (No. 3189a)
The store wasn't even open yet so I made another quick painting of the view across the street. St. Laurent street is a continuous line of storefronts and residential buildings. This store sold clothes and knickknacks. The yellow awning and blue-green car caught my attention. It was different to paint the shadows of the tree without the tree itself, it gives the suggestion of nature. (No. 3189b)
Yellow Awnings with Tree's Shadow, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2022
To cool off I stopped under some shade in Old Montreal near a small harbour area now used for tourism. It was a calm scene with the Montreal east skyline in the background. The building off to the right edge is the Molson brewery which is set to move to the south shore in the near future.
Old Montreal Harbour, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2022 (No. 3191)
I rode through Ville Henri and painted the iconic Grumman '78, a popular cafe and restaurant that unfortunately closed for good during the pandemic. It was a converted garage-repair shop. In the summers, you would see the parking lot full of patrons and hear music playing. The buildings in the background were factories in the old days but now they are condominiums. It was good to finally paint this scene, I had rode past a hundred times. Luckily I got home before noon and before the serious heat and humidity.
Grumman '78, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2022 (No. 3190)
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