The Web we Leave: Lab Book #24

 

The Web we Leave is based upon the doodles in the first part of my 24^th lab book. The lab books number back to my time as a graduate student, then as a postdoc, and finally as a professor. The earlier lab books are not in my possession but I made some photocopies, and made paintings of most of the essential doodles from those books. This is a full sized version I just took a picture of using my small interior LED tripod lamps. 

The Web we Leave: Lab Book #24, watercolour 22 x 30" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3354)

Here are some crops and further thoughts on the painting:

 

Crop 1 Most years I have completed at least one large format (22 x 30") painting. Last year it was Saturation Costs. Today I finished another installment of the Lab Book series, using notes from about half of my 24^th lab book which spans mid 2021 until late 2022. It was filled with an unusually large number of doodles in the margins and spilling over onto the pages. I replicated each doodle using bone black (PBk9) slightly tinted with blue (PB60) yellow (PY154) or brown (PR101), and a number 0 sable brush. Random doodles were then coloured in with blue, red, green or yellow. The style was meant to emulate the late Keith Haring, a famous New York graffiti/pop artist. His work consisted of simple outlines of characters and objects coloured in with a limited, but bright palette.

Crop 2 Here is a second crop of the painting. I could only fit a segment into the scanner. Its just barely visible to the left, but there is a conveyor belt making covid vaccines, with virus-shaped gears running it, and money being turned out. It was a comment on how the virus created the need for vaccine, which generated a lot of profit for industry.  

Crop 3 The virus cogs, conveyor belt, and cash

Winter Paintings on the 401

On the drive up to Bolton, I had the pleasure of getting hit with an epic blizzard that shut down part of the highway and cause massive delays. By the time I hit Napanee, the snow was coming across horizontally and whiting out the background. I made this painting while sitting in my rental car. It was still cold even in the car!

Napanee Rest Stop, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3320a)

Luckily, on the way back the weather cooperated and the highways were clear. It was still bitterly cold though. To do this painting I stood beside my rental car, looking towards the parking lot were a truck was parked. Knowing the paint would not dry quickly, I tried to keep the elements separate. There were a bunch of lamp posts but there was no way to overlay them. Someone asked me recently, when I was painting on location, if I touch the painting up or continue them in a studio, and I said no, its all done on location. The truth is I occasionally complete a painting at home, but I mostly leave them as is. With this painting it is the end of my recent trip to Bolton to visit mom and dad, it was a great time and the turkey dinner was fantastic!

Mallorytown Rest Stop, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3321a)

More Winter Scenes from Bolton

About half way to Bolton Camp, there was a neat scene of the curving creek with a dense copse of pine trees in the middle ground. Capturing the terrain was very subtle, just hints of shadows and contours were needed. The shadow under the pine trees was indo blue (PB60) with a touch of dark magenta (PV19) and neutralizing yellow ochre (PY43).

Bend in the Creek with Pine Trees, Bolton, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3318)

 

This was actually the first painting I did on my recent trip to Bolton. I learned a quick lesson, that applying an under wash was not feasible, it would not dry and make everything on top seem blurry. For subsequent painting I avoided under wash (applying the shadow on the snow). Instead, I used smaller brush strokes to fill in the background last. It took some adjusting to the conditions. For the last few paintings of the Bolton trip ( Winter Fields and Rolling Hills ) I employed all the adjustments and came up with some nice ones that became gifts.

Creek in Forest, Bolton, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3319a)

Just behind my parents house there is a pond that was recently renovated. On this day it was frozen solid, so much so that people were walking on it. I didn't want to take the chance, and made this painting from up on the walking path that leads to Columbia way.

Frozen Pond, Bolton, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3317b)

Walk through Forest to Downtown Bolton

At the end of Humberview Park on Crestwood road there is a footpath leading to the escarpment. About half way down the steep path there was a large tree that had fallen. Snow was covering its top, mushrooms adorned its lower stump. Painting in the winter is very monochrome, white, grey, and subtle shades of brown.

Fallen Tree Covered in Snow, Bolton, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3314)

One of the main reasons that Bolton exists is the Humber River which used to power a mill just upstream. At this location, just to the east of Humberlea road, the water was cascading down a small rapids, which prevented ice from forming. The river was a mix of white, grey and green-blue.

Humber River Partly Frozen, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3315)

 

I stopped along King street for a painting of the sun reflecting in the partially frozen river. Water flowing down the center of the river was preventing it from freezing. This was an ambitious painting. Sometimes I pass on a scene thinking that I will try it the next time, but then I remind myself that scenes like this may never appear again!

Sun Reflecting in Partly Frozen River, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3316a)

 

The beating heart of downtown Bolton is the corner of King and Queen highways. To paint this scene I stood near the bank, looking north along Queen street. Despite my clever cardboard and wood contraption, the painting still smeared a bit and lost definition on the top portion. It still captures the essence of a bitterly cold day downtown.

Downtown Bolton Winter, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3317a)

Winter Paintings in Bolton, Gifts

On a recent trip back to Bolton to visit my parents for Christmas I had the chance to make some paintings in and around town. It was mildly cold (around -5℃ ) but the ind was fierce for the first couple of days. Things had calmed down when I made this painting of the view from Queen street and Columbia way. The fire station would be just to my right, and the highway behind me. There was a prominent blue-grey cloud cutting an angle across the glowing sky. A hayfield poked through the snow in the foreground.

Winter Field, watercolour 8 x 10" Strathmore Gemini, December 2022

 

A large tract of land has been conserved by the town, it stretches from the north hill suburbs all the way to Bolton Camp, and down to King street. Much of the trail was a mosaic of trees, snow and a little creek that winds its way through this forest where I used to play as a boy. This was the second try at the scene. The foreground tree holds the composition together, while the creek is just hinted at on the bottom right. High on the embankment is the treeline, I edited the houses out.

Forest with Creek, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3517)

On the last day I walked up to the edge of a farmers field on Columbia way which is part of the Ontario Greenbelt, at least for now. The field had been plowed before winter resulting in an undulating broken terrain coated in a thick layer of snow like icing on a dirt cake. The sky and rolling hills were an impressionist's dream, pastel with lots of light permeating through. Dark green trees provided necessary contrast. I left behind these three paintings as gifts for the family.

Winter Fields and Rolling Hills, watercolour 8 x 10" Strathmore Gemini, December 2022

Reach for Conclusions

 

As I prepare to drive out to Ontario tomorrow, I made one last painting, this time an abstract painting. It has an organic/botanical vibe with elements of fire and ice. The title reflects a manuscript we are having a bit of trouble with, we reach for conclusions as opposed to jump to conclusions. I was also cleaning the palette so as to fill it up for the brief trip out west, hopefully the weather cooperates for a good visit and a few paintings along the way. I will post the year in review shortly. 

Reach for Conclusions, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, December 2022 (No. 3359b)

Painting Year in Review: 2022

 

Chair in a Field of Yellow Buttercups

For the past few years, my painting output has gone up substantially. I posted the year in review for 2020, and the year in review 2021. Part of the fun of doing a review blog is reflecting on all the art and picking out a few of the favorites of mine and the crowd favorites. The first painting to write about embodies the theme of urban painting, it is called  Chair in a Field of Yellow Buttercups painted during the summer in my favorite field down near the train tracks. It was actually a 2021 painting called Two Chairs in Field  that began the motif. It was soon joined by a table full of debauchery in A Table and Four Chairs in a Field, and several others along a similar theme. The style and substance of this painting was greatly inspired by van Gogh. Speaking of van Gogh-inspired, there was a really neat location painting I did in this field called Sunflowers on a Rainy Day. 

Gas Station on a Snowy Night

As the new painting year began it didn't take long before I had completed one of the best technical pieces of the year, and perhaps one of the best since I began outdoor painting. It was a painting of a Gas Station on a Snowy Night, down on the corner of Cavendish and Somerled. Through sheer luck, tiny snow pellets fell on the painting creating a realistic illusion of snow. As the snow continued, I painted mountains of snow,  melting snow, and more recently, the return of the snow at Coffee Park. As I learn more about winter painting, I wrote a new blog page called "Winter Water Painting". The term water painting is one that I started using in formal writing, so make it more in line with oil painting or acrylic painting.

Memory of a Burger

Each year there has been a painting that the social media audience really likes, and this year it was the towering Memory of  Burger. Looking at it now, it makes me hungry! Another really popular one, and it had the most blog views, was World Inspired Landscapes: Colombia (Rainbow River), which is part of the sprawling World Inspired Landscape Series. There were a lot of fans, including Mr. Clarke my highscool art teacher, who really liked Its a Fake Pumpkin Charlie Brown. My interior painting of the laboratory garnered some praise at work and became part of our official lab logo. There were quite a few supportive up votes and comments on the Iranian protest painting called Flag Waving downtown Campus. 

More Sun, More Fun

It was a decent year for abstract paintings, most of them done while 'cleansing the palette'. For example, the van Gogh-inspired study of yellow More Sun, More Fun (shown above), a kaleidoscope of colour in Brick Hue, and the outrageously named Static in the Attic.

Orange Line Metro Lasalle Station with Bus

The centerpiece of any painting year has to be the changing of the seasons, especially Spring and Summer. Perhaps the best all-around painting of the year was this unassuming scene of the the Lasalle Metro station, done in the early morning light in Verdun. The colours, composition, theme, and technique all came together to create a fresh spring take on a classic urban scene. With spring arriving I painted New Leaves on Campus, and Blossoms near the st Lawrence river, done on a lunch hour break of course. There were some pretty neat bridge paintings including the new Champlain Bridge,  the Cartier Bridge as seen from old Montreal, and a small Bridge from St. Helen's to Notre Dame Island. I rode out to Parc Extension in the summer, and made quite a few nice summer paintings in Old Montreal. I shouldn't "leave" out fall either, it was a long one this year. I did a nice fall forest scene up in Summit Park, a brilliantly coloured scene of Fall Leaves with Backlit Trees,  and a tree that demonstrated Changing Colours. 

Dépanneur Diamond 10

Seldom do I return to the same location in quick succession. In the summer I returned to the Chair in the Field and got good results; When my first attempt at Dépanneur Diamond 10 in Lachine was substandard, I returned to the location for two more weekends. It was somewhat urgent because this charming structure, which has been run by the same family for over 70 years, is slated for Condo development next year. The final version of Dépanneur Diamond 10 captures the entire ambiance of the scene including the fall leaves blowing on the street, and local people strolling by. Other notable Dépanneur paintings include the sublime night painting of Dépanneur YoYo, the rustic Dépanneur O'Brien, and the frozen Dépanneur Gong.

Train Crossing Ville st Henry

Trains were a recurring theme this year including the powerful Train Crossing (shown above), the hectic Commuter train Crossing, and the peaceful Morning Commuter Train.  Painting things that move is a growing skill!

 Reflection on Canal at Sunset

Throughout the year I painted numerous post-industrial scenes in and around the Lachine Canal including Reflection on Canal at Sunset (shown above), with an amazing Sunset on the River shown in the same blog, the nearby Pink House on Old Factory, the contrasting Black and White Reflections on the canal, the not-so-contrasting Grey Day on the Lachine Canal, and even a painting from Under the Canal!

Restaurant Fameux

Night paintings were on the menu this year, such as the Restaurant Fameux in Plateau (shown above), an Evening Ride to the st Lawrence River, more eerie moon paintings, a nigh time extravaganza at the International Jazz Festival, not to mention, yet another painting of the famous Auto Shop, this time on a Rainy Night. And recently, I captured the proverbial "lightning in a bottle" with an action painting of horse-mounted police officers after the big soccer match. With all that I have learned about night painting, I wrote a blog page covering some technical aspects of night painting. 

 

St. Jacques Bridge and River, Pink Sky

As I type up the 2022 year in review, I keep finding more and more amazing paintings from the year, it may well have been the best year of painting that I have managed to date. The scene above shows a View South to St. Jacques Bridge and River, Pink Sky. My Dad actually has a photo of him sitting with a car here in the 1960's ! It was a good year for painting sunsets, such as Sunset over Train Tracks, a Fleeting Moment, and Sunset Between Bridges. 

World Inspired Landscapes: Costa Rica (detail)

I hope you enjoyed the blog this year, I appreciated all the views and comments from the virtual audience! And I fully expect (and hope) to have another productive year of painting and blogging in 2023. 

Lumber Yard on a Cold Night

 

On my way back from Anatol Spices, which is in Little Italy, I saw this scene of the lumber yard with that iconic warehouse/water tower structure in the north part of Mile End. The Canadian Tire store would be just behind me. Parking lot lamps were casting an eerie yellow-orange glow over the foreground building, while the background structure was in a muddy blue. The sky was made from my usual night sky pairing of indo blue with pyrol orange (PB60 + PO73), along with a touch of yellow ochre (PY43) to make it greyish instead of purplish. I am glad the brick patterns worked out on the background warehouse, it is quite a distinctive architecture that the city said would never change despite pressure from developers.

Lumber Yard on a Cold Night, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3307b)

Condo Regression

 I did this one a few weeks back but just got around to making a blog about it. The blobs looked like melting condominium (apartment) buildings, which made me thought of a condo development in reverse. But what is the opposite of the word 'development' ? Un-development, de-development, anti-development? I settled on 'regression' and hence the name of the painting. Heading into a new year usually means a rethink on my art journey. I may migrate the blog over to a different hosting site next year to try and get more traffic on the blog and better features. I will also look into self publishing some short books based upon themes, for example, I have enough paintings to make a book about painting in and around the Lachine canal. We will see how it goes though, the main thing for me is to keep painting, improving, and sharing my work with the world. I have nearly completed the 2022 year in review and will publish that on Thursday.

Condo Regression, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, December 2022 (No. 3359a)

Shed at Coffee Park Winter

 

An overdue manuscript necessitated a longer day at work, which in turn necessitated more food in my office! On my way down to Snowdon Bakery and the City Fruiterie, I stopped to make a quick painting of the early sunset with the snow-covered shed at Coffee Park. Aside from being a graffiti palette, I'd assume this shed stores various items the caretakers need to keep the park in order. In the background there were more trees, condos, and the commuter train, its the grey and blue smear behind the building, went by in a blur. By sheer luck, the train dried in a fuzzy kind of way which, to my eye, simulates the motion.

Shed at Coffee Park Winter, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3313)

Night Lights and Colours of City

 

After painting the horse-officers doing crowd control, I kept walking towards downtown, and found this view as seen from Mount Royal park.The hill side in the foreground was new, unbroken snow, with a rainbow's worth of colour. A strong amber lamp in the back of me cast a peachy glow, which faded to deep blue, and then a greenish glow from the street lights. The road was filled with cars and I could still hear them honking in the aftermath of the soccer game. As I painted this, the horse painting was still drying so I had to be really careful not to smudge it. After completing this painting I walked down to Place des Arts to get the metro home, and I carried the horse painting the whole time still waiting for it to dry. Glad I did though, that one turned out fantastic. And this one is cool too, you really see all the night lights and colours of the city of Montreal.

Night Lights and Colours of City, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3311b)

Crowd Control at Mount Royal

After team Argentina won the world cup today, there were throngs of people out and about with flags. Cars were going by fast, honking and waving the flag of Argentina, which is blue and white with a yellow sun in the middle. It was all happening as I walked down Parc Avenue painting scenes of snowy trees and old fashioned triplexes. At the central part of Mount Royal park the sidewalk was blocked by a large crowd of fans celebrating the win in public, they were singing, waving flags and dancing up a storm. Police cars were everywhere, and this group of police officers on horses was observing from just around the statue (a portion of which is shown on the right). The crowd is just sketched into the left side of the painting, enough to show the flag and a hint of the crowd. The real subject matter were the horses-mounted officers who were wearing neon green bibs and helmets, and their impressive horses. Since the sun was down there was almost no light and I had to go by experience to judge the colours, the neon green came out great. I really liked the colour of the horses, they were a very dark chestnut, with splashes of rust colour. To complete the painting, a dark sky and high-contrast city skyline was sketched in. Glad to say, this one is very memorable, it perfectly caught the moment.

Crowd Control at Mount Royal, Horse Police, watercolour 8 x 10" Strathmore Gemini, December 2022 (No. 3336b)

Wintery Walk down Parc Avenue

Today, everything had a thick covering of snow from the storm that blew through town. In this scene, you can see the tree branches heavy with snow, and a bright orange facade of one of the many old fashioned triplexes in the Plateau area. I was standing on Parc Avenue near Bernard street, which is part of the Mile End neighborhood around where I used to live. To paint the snowy branches I filled in the background elements, leaving random spots white, added the shadowed snow, and finished with the tree trunk and branches. The sun-lit brick is orange (PO62) with a touch of red ochre (PR101/PBr7).

Facade with Snowy Tree, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3311a)

 

Not too far down the avenue there was a construction project that was blocking half the road. In the background were more of the old facades with snowy trees. Construction plus snow is an iconic duo here in Montreal. I left the top of the pylons white even though they were full shadow, it gives a real pop to the foreground. To create the central shadow with highlight, I applied a large patch of dark violet, with the blue sky on top, and left the top part of the buildings white until the other parts dried. Some paint splashed on the sky, it was a messy time painting today!

Snow and Construction on Parc Avenue, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3312)

At the beginning of Mont Royal park there is a popular toboggan hill. The sun was basically down now, which created some dark shadows and silhouetted trees. Peoples clothes and their sleds gave a few splashes of colour. 

Sunset on Toboggan Hill, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3309b)

 

Heavy Snow on Somerled Av

There has been heavy snow fall for the past few days resulting in great piles of snow on just about everything. In this scene, I stood under the overhang of the bank next door, which protected the painting from the constant barrage of snow. It was a challenging task, to paint the billowy white snow caps on the branches and other objects in the scene. An eerie turquoise salt was on the path in the foreground which provided a splash of colour along with the windshield of the car across the street. I tried a second painting but the sky wouldn't dry and the whole thing turned to mush. When painting in these conditions, its perhaps best to avoid layering, just paint more directly.

Heavy Snow on Somerled Av, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3310)

Colourful Snow Pile at Night

I found this unusual scene on campus after work, it is the psychology building with a pile of snow in the field. The building had decorative magenta lights beaming down, and a strong amber light was behind me. The sky was a neutral blue with some purplish hues. Because it was snowing at the time, little snowflakes fell on the painting while it was still wet creating a snow-effect. It was fun to paint this one, with all the magenta and purple colours that don't show up very often in a landscape scene.

Colourful Snow Pile at Night, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3309a)

Lights for Ghosts

 Today was about going places and painting things, after the exam pick up in the morning. This painting was done at Trenhome park in NDG after picking up the vegetables from Lufa farms drop off. It shows a skating rink that they set up in anticipation for the cold wintery weather that is impending. In the background are the many lights off on the horizon, far past the canal. I've oft painted the nights sky, but never quite captured the inky black colour to his extant. It's a heavy mix of dark blue (PB60) red-orange (PO73) and some lamp black (PBk6). For the grass, variations of olive green were created with indo yellow (PY110) perylene green (PBk31) and yellow (PY174). There were no soccer players here, so it seemed like a field lit up for ghosts.

Lights for Ghosts, Trenholme Field, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3308)

Another Last Chance Painting

Down by the Alexis Nihon mall, near the old forum, there is a vacant lot that gives a view of an old fashioned window on a building. One day this spot will likely be filled up with a condo development, but for today it was a location for an artist. The insulating foam on the building to the left contained a variety of yellow that I captured using some van Gogh-inspired shades of yellow. The rest of the painting was a symphony of beige, including a raw sienna version that I created with yellow ochre and burnt sienna (Py43, PR101). For the fire hydrant I used the pyrol red (PR254).

Empty Lot, Fancy Window, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3284b)

Going places Painting Things

 

Going downtown to pickup the exams I stopped to make this painting of the main building on the Sir George Williams Campus. A lot of stressed out-looking students were walking on the sidewalks, but then again it was professors like me who write those exams and make them stressed out. To make this scene vibrant the colours were applied at very high chroma, it looked like rainbow colours at the time. Due to the overcast weather, and the paper which absorbs the paint and dulls it, the colours dried less intense. I used a new format here, about half of a 9x12 paper, which helps to capture the vertical city scenes. I'd like to try a 15 x 6 format, but it wont fit in the scanner, but it seems like a good size for painting in the city. 

Downtown Campus, Concordia U, watercolour 4.5 x 8" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3344)

Commuter Train Under Stars

 

The Maisonneuve bike path actually begins right near the University Campus. As seen in the foreground, the path loops around to the east and continues for as long as you might care to pedal...all the way to the eatsern most tip of the island as it turns out. Tonight, the sky was very dark and some stars were just barely visible over top of the urban lighting. Just as the painting was getting started the commuter train made its noise and then rumbled by on its way downtown. In the foreground, there was a massive pile of vines, like a big bowl of spaghetti that turned over. The telephone pole was an eerie green, due to the preservatives in its wood. It was reminiscent of the cypress tree in van Gogh's Starry Night painting, which no doubt inspired this one on an icy cold night. 

Commuter Train Under Stars, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3306b)

Shimmer and Subtle Textures

After painting the apple tree on the hill, I continued by bike to park Angrignon, making it all the way to the south east side of the pond. I have painted from this spot before (Symphony of Blue Green and Yellow), but this time, the pond was frozen with a thin layer of ice. Since there was no snow yet, the ice was highly reflective, but still translucent near the shore where the angle showed the muddy bottom of the pond. It was a very delicate painting to do on a harsh, cold day. The pond was done with about three layers to create the shimmer and the subtle textures. 

Frozen Pond with Reflections, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3307a)

 

On the way back I stopped on the bike path near the shipping container/truck depot area. The fellow who talked to me during the apple tree painting said that there used to be a public swimming lake here many years ago before the train company turned it into a depot area. In the background you can see the escarpment leading up to NDG, and in between (unseen) is highway 720/20 going downtown. Since everything in this scene was greyish and dark, I amplified the internal lighting of the objects to make them look lit-up. I guess red and green makes a fitting duo for this time of year. When it finally snows for real, I am planning to go to this location to paint, it is just close enough to reach in heavy snow. In winter, the bike path on the canal is only partly plowed making it tough going.

Shipping Containers no Snow, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3305b)

 

 

Wild Apple Tree on Hill

 Riding up Senkus Avenue from the canal leads past an industrial area and several large shopping malls. Yesterday, I noticed several full-sized apples on the grass near the sidewalk and though at first someone had thrown a bag of apples out the window of their car. But then I noticed a gnarled old apple tree at the top of the steep hill, it still had apples on its branches. I took some of them home to feed the squirrels (they like the pits) and put them into the composter. Today I returned to the location and made a painting of the scene, complete with frozen apples resting on the hill side. Due to the winter conditions I have to put a considerable amount of salt in the water (20 grams of salt for 100mL of water) which prevents freezing, but also makes the paint dry very slowly. So I painted in the sky first with as little paint as possible, then worked on the grassy hillside while it dried. The sky had to dry in order to put the tree over top. The hill side and apples contain a variety of yellow, green, orange and red elements, which contrasts against the soot-brown tree. The apples on the branches were back-lit by the sky making them look maroon. A fellow on roller-skis was going up and down the road, and he stopped to chat with me for awhile about exercising in the cold and sketching.

Wild Apple Tree on Hill, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3343)

The Yellow Fellow

The yellow fellow refers to Vincent van Gogh, a painter from the 19^th century oil painter who mastered, among other things, the colour yellow. He used an amazing variety of yellows in his famous sunflower series, hay field series, and numerous portraits. There was a very bright yellow, a dark yellow, a greyish (pastel) yellow, creamy varieties of yellow, greenish yellow, orangish yellow, and varieties of brownish yellow. He seemed to understand the strengths and limitations of each yellow because he employed them strategically depending on the needs of the painting. It is not possible to copy van Gogh's style because he used a slightly different style for each and every painting. In my humble abstract painting, I was mostly cleaning the palette, and using the opportunity to explore shades of orange and yellow. (No. 3212b)

The Yellow Fellow, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, December 2022

Painting of Slightly Frozen Water

With the temperatures below zero and a fierce wind it was a daunting task to get on the bike today. I headed to Park Angrignon and see if there was any ice forming on the pond yet. All bundled up, I pedaled down to the park. about a 30 minutes ride, and found a popular spot just next to the west part of the long, narrow pond. It was a thoroughly trodden area since people were going for walks and stopping to take pictures. The waning light was illuminating some of the trees, with the rest of them in shadow. Thin ice had formed on the pond's surface. As usual, when painting in the cold with salty water, it doesn't dry very fast making the detail work difficult. Next time I might try to use dry, adjacent brushstrokes and avoid any wet wash effect. At any rate, the colours are nice here and the thin ice effect is convincing.

Slightly Frozen Pond, Park Angrignon, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3305a)

 

While making a hasty retreat from the park, this scene caught my eye. The grass was an interesting mix of yellow, orange and green, and the canal had a sapphire-blue hue. It was immensely challenging for a simple painting. Wind was blasting down the canal, and the paint was turning into a mild slush. The new deerskin mitts were keeping my hands toasty warm although I discovered that the mitts have a dark grey dye that can rub off onto the paper. The mitts are also not up to the task of riding a bike, since I could already see wear and tear forming on the palms. I guess these mitts were meant for fashion shows not outdoor work! When the seasons change there is always an adjustment time where I adapt the gear and the painting style. With a long string of freezing days ahead, at least there is ample chance for more practice.

c watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3306a)

Light and Shadow on Campus

Wanting to avoid a cold night painting, I snuck out of the office after a bunch of meetings and made a quick painting of the dying light in the campus quad area. The aim of the painting was to capture the colours which appeared to be quite intense, the scene was bathed in an amber light of the setting sun. As the under-painting dried very slowly, the tree overlay diffused into the background in places. This painting kind of represents the contrast between work, and my painting hobby. Maybe there will come a time when I can paint full time. Tomorrow is looking promising for a painting trip, sunny although quite cold.

Light and Shadow on Campus, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3304b)

Full Moon over Sherbrooke

 

The moon was almost full tonight. It was a bright, silver disk, easily shining through the overcast sky. Some of the condo/apartments were lit up with interior lights creating a neat contrast. At the very bottom right was a dépanneur but the paper was too small to fit everything in. Even the moon was a lot higher in the sky than shown int he painting. Lately I was contemplating using a 2:1 or even 3:1 format to paint city scenes where the buildings and sky elements are very much vertical. This was the view from right near the Lufa delivery truck where I picked up the groceries on my bike.

Full Moon over Sherbrooke, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2022 (No. 3304a)