Another nice day for a ride to Lachine

 

Down St. Louis street in Lachine there are several shops, restaurants and old architecture. This house had a shop on the ground floor, and a curving aluminum spire gleaming in the sun. Quite a few people stopped to look and had good things to say about the painting.

House with Spire, Lachine, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2022 (No. 3265a)

 

Turning south at any point in Lachine brings you to the canal path and the river. Sun rays were beaming through the clouds in a fan-like shape. The point of land is the water break they added to protect the marina. In the foreground is a sliver of the bike path. To paint the sun beams I applied the sky, let it semi-dry then used a moist brush to lift the beams. When it was totally dry I added a thin layer of orange-yellow to make it glow.

Sun Beams on the River, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2022 (No. 3263b)

 

On the way out of Lachine there are several vacant lots that look like they are being primed for condo development. I set up by bike-studio in the middle of one of them, and painted this view of Boul st Joseph looking east. The old apartment had one of those curvy spires on it. Industrial remnants filled the background.

View from Vacant Lot 1, watercolour 8 x 10" Strathmore Gemini, October 2022 (No. 3341a)

 

Without much pause I turned to face due south and painted another scene from the vacant lot. The trees and cars made a colourful contrast for the moonscape-like foreground surface. It was completely overcast by now, so I had to really emphasize the colours and the value contrast. If you paint what you see on an overcast day it will turn out bland, so the trick is to exaggerate everything and it will look good under normal lighting at home.

View from Vacant Lot 2, watercolour 8 x 10" Strathmore Gemini, October 2022 (No. 3338b)

Still overcast, I made this painting of the large industrial frames that are still standing in a derelict factory. They seem to be made for moving heavy loads back and forth, maybe it was some kind of truck depot or warehouse in the old days. I know one thing is for sure, it will all be condos soon enough! But for now nature is making the most of it.

Industrial Overgrowth, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2022 (No. 3266a)