University of London Ontario, Campus Paintings

 

After painting a few scenes from the Concordia University laboratories, it reminded me of an old painting I did of the laboratory bench at Robarts Research Institute in London Ontario. Located on the University of Western Ontario campus, this institute is where I spent over 5 years completing a PhD. For the last few years of it, ending in 2004, I worked at this bench which has a small window looking out onto the hospital and a bit of tree line. There is a liquid nitrogen tank at the back, with a biohazard bin in the front with an orange bag. The cupboards are the same navy blue, and the lab is just as gloomy as the current laboratories I work in.

Robarts Research Institute Laboratory Bench, watercolour 5 x 8" cold press, 2004 (No. 0485)

 

After work hours and on weekends I would stroll around campus with my backpack full of gear and camping tripod. I always painted sitting down, either on the tripod or on a bench or ledge. I like the wet-in-wet effect on the pine needles, it gives a realistic feel. The greens were probably a combination of phthalo green (PG7), burnt sienna transparent (PR101), and winsor yellow (PY154).

UWO Campus Pine Tree, watercolour 5 x 8" cold press, 2002 (No. 0486)

 

The was ample green space around campus filled with old trees and the occasional Canada goose! Of course, the pylon was just as important. Very few of these paintings had dates on them, but I could tell from the heavy greens and use of cerulean blue that it was around 2002- 2004. The top vignette shows a squirrel in the shadow of a tree, the bottom is a Canada goose probably wondering if I was going to feed it. 

Green Space around Campus, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 2003 (No. 0487)

 

This excellent scene shows a leaning tree in winter superimposed on the support of an elevated walkway that connects two of the campus buildings. The pastel colours on the limestone brick, and the rising shadows conveys a sunset. Hints of snow signify winter. I love the brevity of this painting, it uses an economy of brush strokes, for example the lamp post is a study in simplicity, and the tree was seemingly done in one pass.  It must have been a tough painting to do, considering the sun was setting and it was winter. There was definitely some luck involved here!

Tree Under Walkway, UWO Campus, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 2003 (No. 0488)