Happy New Years 2023, ride to Mile End

 

Mile End is a section of Le Plateau in Montreal, it is a trendy neighborhood with plenty of cool shops, parks, and restaurants. On the side of this apartment building there was a large mural painted around a circle of bricks. The tree was nicely framed by the mural, which was probably the idea of the artist. To keep the painting looking fresh I made the wall and grass a lot brighter than they were in real life, this gives the sense of a glow, and provides better contrast for the tree.

Pine Tree and Mural, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, January 2023 (No. 3322b)

On a day like today the motto is 'embrace the grey' since there was not a whole lot of colour to be found. This building is an apartment with a dépanneur on the ground floor, it on the popular corner of Fairmount Av and st Laurent Blvd. The trees, people and bike were details that I scratched in with a mix of carbon black (PBk6) and red ochre (PR101).

Grey Building with Tree, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, January 2023 (No. 3320b)

Just around the corner there was a prominent yellow house. Normally I avoid painting facades but this one had a tempting shade of yellow and an interesting bike and tree to break the symmetry. It certainly stood out on this overcast and rainy day. These are the first paintings of 2023, I am also working on another large format abstract to complete the doodles from lab book #24. The idea is to make in the image of Hokusai's famous print Red Fuji.

Yellow House with Bike, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, January 2023 (No. 3319b)