Terry Fox Park, still a cool place

 

Terry Fox Park is a little strip of nature along st Jacques street near the intersection of Melrose street. I took the underground tunnel at Melrose and Maisonneuve which allows pedestrians to get across to the escarpment area including a large park with courts and play areas. The underground tunnel was the coolest place in town. In this scene you can see cars parked along st Jacques through the numerous trees. The tree in the foreground is actually a blue pine, it had a very interesting bark that was reflecting all kinds of colours. The more I looked at it and made the painting, the more I thought it would be a good painting on its own. I will have to go back sometime, it is very close to where we live, and the tall trees along the escarpment provide a lot of canopy cover and shade.

Tree View Terry Fox Park, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2023 (No. 3501a)

Here is a view along the path, with the signature blue bin in the foreground hiding partly behind a large landscaping rock in the center of a circular brick path. In the background, the fence is covered in a dense tangle of Virginia creeper, and aggressive invasive vine that threatens to kill off all the nice trees growing in the escarpment. Its hard to tell from the painting, but all the trees in the background are completely covered in creeper vine from trunk to canopy. It may be time for some vigilante vine clearance since the city is not doing anything about it. This painting was quite elaborate, I had to use everything I know to get it done. Most of the technique involved coloured washes followed by dry brush on top. There wasn't a lot of room on this small piece of paper to describe all the elements, the rock in the front still comes across all right. This park is one of those locations in NDG that not too many people know about, and there certainly not that many artists trying to capture it! Today with the uncertain weather and high humidex it was a smart place to go. Hopefully it cools off a bit more.

Path View Terry Fox Park, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2023 (No. 3501a)