Summery Ride to Sculpture Park

 

I had hoped to sneak off at lunch break but a meeting got moved and the whole schedule was thrown off. So I rode down after work and caught the last few hours of sun on a summery day. The wind was fierce, but luckily not too cold until I got down to sculpture park near Lachine. It is a narrow breakwater/peninsula with a picnic area and many different sculptures strewn about. I have made many paintings there before in all seasons, although I have never painted the sculptures themselves. One of the rules I have when doing paintings is to not copy other people's artwork, although I do copy the graffiti from time to time. This tree is actually leaning severely over the river, I have painted it before, but this time I found a more direct angle. In the background, mid left, is the end of the Honoré Mercier Bridge where it crosses over into Kanawaki.

Leaning Tree end of Winter, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, April 2023 (No. 3429a)

On the other side of the park is the Marina. The ice was still on the surface albeit melting rapidly. This did not deter some intrepid seagulls through. I liked the variation in value, hue and texture in the melting ice. Where it was melted through it was light blue, where the ice was still formed it was a grey-green, and where the snow was still piled it was cream white. In the background is Lachine, and some suggestion of the cars travelling along boulevard st Joseph.

Seagull on Melting Ice, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, April 2023 (No. 3430a)

 

Not far from the last scene, the water was fully melted and flowing strongly. Towards the left you see the Lachine Lighthouse in park st Louis, and in the foreground is a sail boarder getting an early start on the season. I re-positioned the lighthouse and peninsula a little to fit in the composition, it actually sticks out some more than shown. To paint the waves in the water I used mostly yellow ochre (PY43) from Daniel Smith company which is a toasty yellow. When applied on the blue water background it turns into a greenish/dark yellow. Over the years I noticed that when the st Lawrence gets choppy, the green mud on the bottom shows through. 

Sail Boarding and Lachine Lighthouse, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, April 2023 (No. 3431a)

All the while that I was painting there was a symphony of birds chirping, they were noisy red winged blackbirds congregating in a copse of cedar trees. I pushed my bike up the small hill but to my dismay I could not see any of the darned things until one hopped out onto a branch. To paint this scene I had to disconnect from reality and channel my inner Maud Lewis for awhile. If you can imagine loudly chirping red winged blackbirds then you get the idea. In the Background is Lachine.

Red Winged Blackbirds in Cedar Trees, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, April 2023 (No. 3432a)