Dual Fall Colours

To close out October I made a quick painting after work before the sun went down at the Benny park area outside of the sports complex. You would think you were in the enchanted forest with this view, actually, there are busy city streets on all sides but I left those out. The tree in the foreground was chartreuse with dark yellow, while the tree in the background was orange-yellow with bright yellow. In the foreground the grass and walking path was completely covered in leaves. As time was running out on the sunlight I finished the painting while it was still moist, which created a soft glowing effect that is quite pleasant. Okay I am ready to paint some snow scenes now!

Dual Fall Colours, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3582a)

Moon over Canal

 

Sitting in the nice warm couch this evening it occurred to me that I had to ride down to the Lachine Canal and make some paintings. It was approaching zero with mild drizzle, but I have plenty of warm clothes to wear in bad weather. I don't know why I complain about the weather in my blog since I will go paint in virtually any condition like heavy rain, extreme cold, and blizzards. Instead of trying to fit the moon into the painting, I approached the canal near the foot bridge that goes to St Patrick and Senkus, and looked down at the moon reflecting in the dark water. I was nearly out of blue paint so had to use carbon black and a combination of blue-green (PG7) and magenta (PV19) that ends up looking like indigo. The footbridge was simplified and abstracted a bit since it is not possible to paint too much light detail on a black background. The moon reflection was tricky, it had to go right the first try because that is the white paper showing through the dark water.

Moon reflection in Canal, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3632)

To capture this scene I rode about a kilometer down the path and set up near the Gantry crane on the other side of the canal. Looking up and through the iron work I could see the moon prominently against the indigo sky. My head lamp was illuminating the fall-colour foliage in the foreground. I had to let the dark blue sky dry before applying the iron work which is a combo of red ochre (PR102) and carbon black (PBk6). The moon is the paper showing through, with a touch of neutral yellow ochre (PY43) to depict the textural effect on the moon. The painting was pretty moist and I didn't have the drying rack with me, so I set it up in my bike pack so that it could dry without getting smeared. The smears on the left side are from my gloved hand. My clothes held up well enough but the cold was starting to get to me.

Moon through Gantry Crane, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3580)

Fear Application

Yet another palette cleanser abstract painting, this one explores the concept of fear just before Halloween. I added some unusual colour contrasts and avoided the colour yellow which is usually a pretty happy colour. It would have been scarier with a clown peeking out from the background or a bucket of snakes and some disembodied eyeballs but that would have been tacky. 

Fear Application, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper October 2023 (No. 3657a)

Iron Sculptures Mile End

At the end of the Mile End is a small vacant lot next to a disused warehouse. Since 25 years ago a local artist has been installing iron sculptures in the area, there must be over a hundred now including some artistic iron benches and seats. To paint this one I did the background first, let it dry, then over-painted the details. The last thing I added was the sculpture itself which completed the composition. I had to leave a spot for it, and set up the contrast between the pastel sky, the fall colours in the background trees and field, with the dark rusty colours of the structure.

Iron Sculpture Mile End, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3578b)

While the background paint dried for the first one, I turned right and painted the scene looking up the highway off-ramp and the disused warehouse with iconic water tower on top. If you are into painting rust this is the place! Of course I used burnt ochre (PR101) which is the exact same colour as rust, along with some carbon black. With the low light, car headlights were popping. The sculpture garden is tucked away in the bottom left of the composition to give you a feel of the entire environment. There are plans to modernize this building but its a tricky thing because it is also a heritage building and it defines the local landscape in many ways.

Sculptures and Warehouse Mile End,  watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3580)

Fall colours around the Lachine Canal

 

The weather was quite pleasant today, cool with a clear blue sky. With lower evening temperatures the leaves changed colours a bit more although most trees were still green and brown. In this scene, the locks were in the foreground, and some old silos and the new cruise boat tower in the background. I embellished the trees, there was a warm yellow, an orange-red, and maroon colours.

Fall Colours Near Old Port, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3578a)

 

This vacant lot was bought up by the city of Montreal with plans to turn it into a park. The developers have been building sky scrapers at a phenomenal pace as you can see in the background. Large chunks of concrete were strewn about, they look like piles of snow! The middle ground building is a converted warehouse, it has bright blue awnings, and shops on the ground level.

Vacant Lot and Skyscrapers, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3575b)

 

Between the condos they installed a biodiversity area, which consists of a board walk surrounded by wispy trees that almost look like bamboo but are thinner. It was very windy today but I was somewhat protected sitting here. My back is facing the bike path and canal, so this view is to the north towards downtown Montreal. 

Biodiversity Area, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3579b)

Fall Trees near Classroom

The other day during class break I saw these colourful fall trees outside. Since the class ends late it was dark, so I returned to the spot today a bit earlier from the outside and squeezed in this painting before there was any rain. It started spitting rain a bit but held off mostly. The trees were greenish yellow, yellow-orange, chartreuse with green, and a rusty red in the background. I kept the lawn lighter than it was so that the leaves popped and the trees seemed to have a glow. To the left is the edge of the building and the classroom behind the door, although that door is the emergency exit as far as I can tell. Although, maybe it is a door to the classroom, normally I take the long way from the front and go through the hallways. Like most campuses, its a labyrinthine with little to no signage to help. The weekend calls for more rain but hopefully I can get out for a few paintings.

Fall Trees near Classroom, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3579a)

The Family Unit

Our family used to go camping around Ontario including at the well known Balsam Lake. One day, we were paddling and the weather turned rough. I remember the whole sky was grey, the water was churning and we were going against a stiff wind and strong rain. The four of us paddled at full force to get through the gale as fast as possible. We made it, no worse for wear but a little wet. I remember feeling the power of the canoe moving though the rough water, it was the power of the family unit. With the weather equally poor recently I've not had the chance to paint outdoors much, so I made this painting from memory. I was going to copy another Maud Lewis painting, but instead I tried to copy her strategy. Perhaps not by choice, she painted in her small cabin from memory, and her paintings seemed to evoke scenes of nostalgia and happiness. Was my family paddling through bad weather a moment of happiness? Not at the time, but in retrospect it was a triumph of sorts.

The Family Unit, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3631b)

Five Reds

 

On the walk home from work I noticed this scene of a red fire hydrant surrounded by a red shrub, red leaves on the ground, red leaves on the tree, and brick red in the background. I did the hydrant with pyrol red (PR254) and benzi scarlet (PR175) for the shadows, while the shrub was benzi scarlet and daubs of the other red paints. The brick wall was burnt ochre (PR102) and the leaves on the ground were a blend of the pyrol red and burnt ochre. It was fun to flex the red paints a little more than usual, since the fall so far has been mostly brown and dark yellow. When I compose scenes on location I usually avoid centering the focal point, preferring to off set the 'center of interest'. After studying some Maud Lewis paintings on line, I saw that she would often place her focal point in the center, like cats or sleds or people. So I started this painting with the red fire hydrant smack in the middle, and painted it with a few simple, joyous brush strokes. The rest of the scene unfolded around it, and provided a great harmony between five different reds.

Five Reds, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3577)

Sports Dome Fall

A large sports dome adorns the campus every fall and throughout the winter. For many years during pandemic time the dome was left up, but recently they went back to the seasonal erection of the dome. That sounded funny. To paint the scene I started off with the sky and then worked on the foreground elements which included some red vine leaves and a bright green strip of grass. Some odd containers were behind the fence. The blue shadows on the dome were done with blue (PB15) and a touch of magenta (PR122). Most blue paints lean slightly to the green, so adding a touch of magenta brings them to an exact blue or slightly leaning to violet-blue. One nasty reminder I got today was that the cold weather is arriving, I was not wearing gloves and felt the wind chill, and the paint was a little frosty on the paper. Pretty soon it will be time for salt in the water and the deerskin gloves.

Sports Dome Fall, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3576b)

Boats Birds and Houses Maud Lewis

Maud Lewis was from Nova Scotia, she gained notoriety for painting folksy local scenes and selling them for peanuts. Nowadays the paintings are worth a lot more than peanuts, although there are a lot of fakes because her style is relatively easy to copy. At first glance a Maud Lewis painting looks as if a child did it, but upon closer inspection she painted with precision and a keen eye for composition. Its likely that most of her paintings were from memory since she was confined to her house for most of her life. Joyful motifs appear such as boats, horse-drawn wagons, snow, animals, flowers, colourful houses and boats. Today I sat in front of the computer and made a watercolour imitation of a Maud Lewis painting which you see above. I was impressed with how much detail there was, for example the boat in the distance had a trail of waves behind it, and the trees were very textured. Most of all, I appreciated the control of colour and value. Black next to red, dark brown next to yellow, and dark green next to chartreuse. She completely avoided shadows, which creates an ethereal glow akin to a Van Gogh painting. Using watercolours added to the challenge since I had to leave the bright white, yellow, orange and chartreuse areas free so as to maintain the lightness and chroma. In one spot I painted the red tree over the blue water (just above the yellow house on the left) and it went dark. Her formula seems to be high chroma, strong value contrast, tight composition, and joyful motifs. Maybe I will try to use this technique next time I am on location but unfortunately it is raining all weekend. 

Boats Birds and Houses Maud Lewis, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3616b)

Houde Park Rainy Day

So I just decided to ride my bike up to st Leonard at 7AM in the rain on Saturday to paint some pictures of trees in this non-de scrip park. Actually I had a routine checkup that went fine and I made a few paintings afterwards despite the mild downpour. I found a gazebo in Houde Park to stand underneath and was impressed by the deep orange, green and red of a nearby tree. There was an interesting building in the background that I painted but then covered up with the tree leaves and berries. The richness of the leaves is about right, you could stare into it like it was a campfire or a potpourri.

Orange, green and red tree, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3575a)

It seemed that this location would be the best I could get today, so I made another one from under the gazebo looking at the two turquoise benches. The colour was made from about equal portions of blue-green (PG7) and blue (PB15). The concrete slab underneath was wet and reflecting the benches. The rest of the park was damp with pops of colours from the play area and surrounding foliage.

Turquoise Benches, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3576a)

Sad Lovely

 

There was a singer songwriter named Connie Converse who never really was famous in her time but she left behind recordings of about 40 excellent folk songs. She wrote and recorded the songs in the early 1950's which was ahead of her time, that was the era of radio-friendly quartet music and then of course rock and roll. Her music is still played to this day by various musicians, and the original recordings can be found on youtube. I thought the story was neat, and the music was enjoyable. One of the songs called How Sad, How Lovely, was about contradictory feelings, one of the lines was something to the effect of  "how sad how lovely, to see the sunset at the end of the street."  which resonated with me as an artist, given that I have painted many sunsets at the end of the street before. In this abstract painting I tried to conjure up the sad idea with a blue orb, and the lovely idea with the various organic decorations surrounding it. I also included the signature distant tree line which appears in a lot of my abstract paintings.

Sad Lovely, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper October 2023 (No. 3653b)

Prominent Tree at Sundown

Sometimes at the end of the workday I like to head down to Trenholme park and make a painting before the sun goes down, or even after the sun goes down. Today I just caught the dying light and did a scene of a prominent tree against a partial-sunset background. It almost seemed impossible because the painting had to be two layers... the background sunset and the prominent tree over top, which meant the background had to dry. I fussed a lot over the pinkish colour on the horizon, in the end it was some blend of orange (PO62) and red-orange (PO73). The rest of the sky just had to have a good contrast between the pale sky-blue, yellowish highlights, and medium purple-grey clouds. Luckily it dried well and I could apply the dark over-painting of the trees, grass, and deck chair in the park. The tree was a mix of perylene green (PBk31) with benzi red (PR175) and touches of yellow (PY154, PY110). Its probably the most difficult lighting condition to paint, and it changes every minute as you paint. None the less, the painting really does capture the scene. I saw another great scene of squirrel nests over Walkley street with sunset in the background but was too tired to paint it. Maybe tomorrow, although I have another health related bike ride to make tomorrow early to St Leonard and I will bring paints.

Prominent Tree at Sundown, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3574)

Tricolour Chair in Field

I brought along the tube of bismuth vanadate yellow (PY184) and squeezed it onto the palette on location. It felt like oil painting in a way, since oil painters have to squeeze the paint fresh when painting. I wanted to see what the paint could really do, and found this scene of a beige chair in the field at the end of Harley Street. The yellow paint went into most of the mixtures including the tan leaves and dull grass, the foliage, and the highlights on the chair which I embellished. Painting a scene like this is very difficult, you have to paint fast and not fuss around too much otherwise it turns into a mess pretty fast. I started with the tan colour in the forwground grass, careful to leave the shape of the chair, then daubed in the green grass and orange/brown leaves. The background was also painted in successive layers. Finally I added the magenta, yellow and blue to the chair to make it look better than it was in real life, which was a boring beige. I thought about making the chair tye-dyed, or space-themed like another dimension, but that would have been a little too wacky. Of course, painting a chair in a field is a little wacky anyways!

Tricolour Chair in Field, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3568b)

Vanadium Tears

Bismuth vanadate (PY184) is a very thick, bright yellow paint that resembles gouache in its consistency. You can see it at full strength inside the blue tear-shapes, and as a background to the green sprouts. I also mixed it with pyrol red (PR254) to produce the caramel outlines. While it is a very intense colour, bismuth vanadate is hard to work with because it makes a mess on the palette, and it does not mix very well with other paints, although it makes a neat chartreuse. I used to bring it on location and found that it could be used to paint over the top of paint layers, but ended up with a metallic sheen to it. Its great for these kinds of abstract paintings though. 

Vanadium Tears Sprouting, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper October 2023 (No. 3653a)

Stylized Fall Trees Mount Royal

High up on the hillside where people toboggan in the winter I got a good view of Beaver lake reflecting the fall colours, as seen through the trees. I painted the background first, applying mixed of red (PR254, PR122), orange (PO73, PO62), and yellow (PY154). Daubing green in gave the semi-colour change that defines this fall... the trees are essentially a mix of green and orange. As it dried I started the next painting, looking slightly to my right. Once dry, I applied the dark trees (PBr7), and other details like leaves and the people strolling along the path.

Fall Trees Beaver Lake, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3573)

Looking just to my right I made a second painting of the path winding through the trees. I painted the background first, then while it was drying I did the trees on the first painting. By the time I got back to this one it was dry and I could apply the trees over top. Its not the first time I have done a tag team painting like this, I usually do it when the paint is drying slowly like in the winter or on humid days. Of course there has to be enough material for two paintings, luckily the forest in Mount Royal had good scenes today. I wanted to go to the lookout but there were so many people it was like Disney Land so I settled for these paintings of the lake and path before heading home.

Fall Trees Mount Royal Path, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3572b)

View down Drummond Street

Heading up to the top of Mount Royal, I stopped midway up the staircase looking down on Drummond Street. In the distance there was a tiny sliver of the Champlain bridge book-ended by two skyscrapers. The rest of the scene had fall colours, parked cars, and a plunging perspective on the street. The whole point of the painting was the bridge, at first it is hard to notice but then you see it. I kept the river water white (plain paper) to emphasize the glowing light. The orange tree in the foreground was done with pyrol orange (PO73) and several other fall colours dabbed in while wet. 

View down Drummond Street, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3572a)

Finally, some Fall Colours to Work With

 

After doing some paintings in old Lachine, I turned down to the bike path and found this interesting scene of the newly paved bike path covered in orange leaves. The sun was hiding behind the heavy cloud cover, yet it still produced an intense glare on the st Lawrence river. The yellow stripe was a crucial part of the composition, I painted it by applying the yellow first, then painting over with the deep purple which was a mix of dark magenta (PV19) and carbon black (PBk6), with dilutions of blue (PB15) towards the top. Since the scene was in silhouette I used deep colours to depict the trees, rocks, grass, and the peninsula in the mid ground. In the very background is the south shore of the river, the Kahnawake reserve.

Bike Path Orange Leaves, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3565b)

The part of the canal that is adjacent to Lachine is very narrow, and lined with old, original stones. This is in contrast to the rest of the canal which is lined with smooth concrete. When I rode over the footbridge and saw this scene I knew I had to paint it. Using a piece of the st Armand paper, I captured the soft textural quality of trees and their colourful reflections in the water. It started to rain quite steadily, but by some stroke of luck the tree that I was standing next to completely blocked the rain drops. I almost packed up thinking the painting would be ruined, but not a single drop hit the paper!

Canal Fall Reflections, watercolour 4 3/4 x 6.5", rough press st Armand, October 2023 (No. 3570)

 

On the way back, the sun was illuminating the tree tops against a dark blue-grey sky. On the right is the train bridge that I have painted many times, for example back in April on a windy day. Unfortunately, I was really rushing this one because the rain was starting up again and there was no convenient tree to block the rain drops. Anyways, I'm glad to have tried the scene, and its probably not the last time I paint this train bridge!

Gloomy Fall Day Canal Bridge, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3569b)

Remaining Scenes of Lachine

Around this time last year I made the final version of the Dépanneur Diamond 10 down in Lachine, which was slated for demolition to make way for condo development. I returned to the location today to see what the situation was, and indeed, the store was gone and just a vacant lot was there. Presumably there will be construction in the near future. I thought about painting the vacant lot but it was just a moonscape with some plants growing here and there, so instead I rode around town looking for other things that were worth remembering. The scene above is an alleyway with a spiral staircase, and a birdhouse attached to the top of the building at the top right. At the bottom right, you see the end of an awning, that belongs to a closed down laundry mat/tailor store. I was going to paint the closed down store, but the alley next to it was so much more interesting. A lot of people walked by and looked and complimented the painting.

Birdhouse in Alley, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3616a)

On the same street, which must have been Notre Dame, there was a very old building that looked like an old hotel perhaps. The facade said 1903 at the top, so it was 120 years old! Painting the variety of off-whites was an interesting challenge, I used neutralized yellow ochre (PY43) throughout. To neutralize yellow ochre I start with a very yellow version of yellow ochre from Da Vinci, and mix with indo blue, or perylene green, and sometimes magenta. With the right amount of water it produces a range of cream colours and light greys. Most yellow ochres have an orange tint, the one from Da Vinci is the only one with the yellowish tint, so I bought a jumbo (37mL) size that will last forever. I used to hate yellow ochre, but now its a staple in my palette. Even in the sky, I apply a very thin wash of yellow ochre to begin, then drop in the purplish cloud shadows and sky-blue colours.

1903 House Lachine, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3562b)

 

Nothing Precisely

 

This was just a little palette cleanser I made on the back of another painting using a new Holbein watercolour brush I bought a few weeks ago. When the brush is new it has a pointy top and I can paint really precisely, then after awhile it wears out and becomes somewhat rounded. These abstract paintings are about nothing, so I called the painting nothing precisely, as in, I painted nothing very precisely. I brought this brush out on location a few times but didn't use it much, I tend to paint a bit more crudely on location due to time and also to better capture the moment. If I stand too long on location the painting can be overworked, although some scenes require more time than others. The weather will continue to be cool and gloomy, I will try to make some decent paintings this weekend.

Nothing Precisely, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3617b)

Mile End and McGill University

The Mile End is a neighborhood on the west part of Le Plateau next to Mount Royal. I used to live there for a number a years and got to know the local shops including the famous Fairmount Bagel, depicted in the painting. There were stacks of orange bagel crates outside, and the bricks had an interesting reddish hue. I tried to capture the architectural elements in an authentic way, so that you can practically smell the bagels cooking. Some people made a short video of me painting after asking permission, that has become more common recently.

Fairmount Bagel, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3568a)

On the way back to NDG I cut through McGill University campus and found some high ground where the sun was still catching the tops of buildings. The structure in the front was  Morrice hall according to the sign, it had elaborate turrets and brick work. I liked the contrast between the earthy campus colours and the bright turquoise skyscraper in the background. For the turquoise I mixed the classic phthalo green blue shade (PG7) with phthalo blue (PB15) and some yellow (PY154) int he lighter areas. The foreground trees were painted wet, then orange blobs were dobbed in to give the fall colour. I had to improvise that technique, because the trees are still mostly green with orange and red leaves here and there. Its a strange thing to see but the fall has been very mild. 

McGill University and Downtown, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3569a)

Marche Fruiterie Cite with Commuter Train

There was a lot going on at the corner of Harley and Elmhurst, people were unloading food at the fruit store, cars were waiting for a commuter train to pass, and some guy was painting a watercolour next to his bike. Its a scene I have attempted numerous times and never quite got it right. This time I only showed a portion of the Fruterie, careful to get the structure and the richness of the colours right, and composed the left half tightly and with proper proportion to the building. The train just zipped by behind the trees and I painted it in successive layers from memory. Other than the people missing, this painting really does capture the spirit of the location. Every now and then there were no cars and I was painting in complete silence. The leaves are still a mix of greenish yellow with brown and orange mixed in. We never really got bright yellow or red yet, maybe it needs to get a bit colder. Anyways, I'm glad the painting worked out, it looks easier than it was. Some previous ones show a truck unloading, a front view from 2019, a side view from 2021 and another front view from earlier this year.

Marche Fruiterie Cite with Commuter Train, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3567)

Art Forager

When I was thinking about a name for this painting, the squirrels were running around the back yard foraging for nuts. It occurred to me that an artist is kind of like a forager, looking for the next best creation. Not to be confused with an art forger, which is one who copies other artists for monetary gain. Come to think of it, there are not too many watercolour forgers out there. Who's to say that a long lost Turner, Whistler, or Sargent watercolor painting couldn't show up at the local thrift store and sell for a fortune? I suppose the challenge would be in the materials- they used old stock paper and old fashioned pigments that would be hard to come by. But not impossible to get. Maybe one day people will forge my work, although nowadays you just have to right click and select save image!

Art Forager, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, October 2023 (No. 3649b)

Watercolours on a Rainy Day

The forecast called for no rain but there was a steady light drizzle all day. I made it out as far as the Old Port, and made a painting of a large cruise boat moored in the Port. Despite standing under a tree, the drips of rain came through and spattered the painting. It took another five or ten minutes of waiting before I could pack this one up because of the moisture. To paint the puddles on the sidewalk I used a trick I learned in Bolton painting geraniums on the deck, it involves a layer of pale neutral blue followed by greenish umber (PBr7). Most of the people's umbrellas were black, but I made them yellow and orange here to provide some pop in the foreground.

Cruise Boat on a Rainy Day, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3615)

 

 

There was nothing to be found but a good view at the spot where Cirque du Soleil sets up their tents. Neither the circus nor the sun were here. I was looking across the rover, on the middle right is the tip of Dieppe Park where I have made paintings before. The rain drops made the sky a lot more interesting, it gave a tye-dyed kaleidoscope look to it. Some people fishing were standing on the breakwater wall where there is a walking path.

Parc de Dieppe River View, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3566b)

 

The rain seemed to have abated so I stood on a large viewing deck at the end of the Old Port and looked east to the Cartier bridge and train tracks. There was a steady drizzle the whole time which accumulated on the painting surface. In the end it created a neat effect, you can definitely get the feel of a rainy day, like looking through a car windshield. It's a pretty cool location, and the Molson building is on the left but not visible in the painting. Using the st Armand paper gave the extra texture to this classic industrial Montreal scene.

Train Tracks and Cartier Bridge Rainy Day, watercolour 8.5 x 11 3/4", rough press st Armand, October  2023 (No. 3640)

Fall, sort of

With a bleak weather forecast of rain and more rain, I set out by foot to Benny Park where there is a sports complex and baseball field. This tree was changing colours, part of it was orange, part was a yellowish green. I used the pyrol orange (PO73) in the tree, mixed with orange (PO62), yellow (PY154) and green (PG36). The dark areas are perylene green (PBk31). I had to paint fast because the rain was just starting.

Changing Leaves Benny Park, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3571a)

A tree starting growing a few years ago, it started out as a small shoot and now it is almost at the top of the old bank building. You can see it towards the bottom right of the painting. The clouds were done with indo blue (PB60) and pyrol orange (PO73). Sold as Winsor Orange Red Shade, the paint has a coral/salmon tint when diluted. When mixed with blue it gives a neutral violet that is perfect for cloud shadows. To paint clouds I apply a thin wash of yellow ochre (PY43), then dab in the shadows and surrounding blue sky as it dries.

Insistent Tree Cloudy Day, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3563b)

On the corner of Cavendish and Somerled there is a food bank, ironically located in an old bank. They set up some growing troughs in the front, which had bunches of small sunflowers growing all summer. Now they are brown and wilted, and the leaves were a black-brown colour. I painted the background first using thin pale washes, then painted the sunflower scene over top. It started to rain again and the painting blurred a little but I managed to finish it and get home before the deluge.

Last of the Sunflowers, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3571b)

Earth Rain Fall

We have reached the point where seasons all mix up into one. Currently it is warm, rainy, with leaves changing, and that is after a full two weeks of sunny days. I was rather hoping for one brief cold snap followed by a week or two of cool sunny days because that creates the perfect conditions for fall landscape painting. When it rains extensively, the leaves get soggy and brown and fall off. I will still try and get out and do my best given the conditions. In the old days, like starting in 1996 I was mostly a fair-weather painter, preferring to venture out on bright sunny days. I made the occasional winter painting or rainy day painting. It wasn't until 2020 that I started painting outdoors regularly, twelve months a year rain or shine, day or night, hot or cold. I've just about done it all now as a location painter. The hardest condition is winter at night with snowfall, once it gets past 20 below. Heavy rain is also a difficult condition, you have to find shelter or rely on an umbrella. In the painting, I arranged earth colours into an abstract rain fall pattern. Its kind of like wallpaper, although I was thinking about artificial intelligence art when composing the patterns.When I was a kid the wallpaper in my bedroom had jungle animals, including ocelots which stick in my mind.

Earth Rain Fall, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, October 2023 (No. 3652b)

Rain of the Day

 

With rain on the schedule for the next week, it will make for a soggy fall. I tried to muster up the enthusiasm to go paint in the rain but stayed inside instead and made a few abstract paintings while cleaning the palette. In this painting it is hard to tell which way is up or down, it looked decent no matter what the orientation. The concept was to create watery and rainy shapes but infuse them with warm almost fiery colours. You can see different things in this painting, like looking at clouds and seeing the forms of animals. Tomorrow I will try to do some rainy day paintings outside in the morning before we head out for thanksgiving dinner in Verdun. 

Rain of the Day, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, October 2023 (No. 3652a)

Sunflowers Fall Colours

The sunflowers down in Westhaven neighborhood are still bright yellow albeit drooping a little more. Its unusual to find sunflowers surrounded by fall colours. I composed the scene to feature the group of sunflowers in the middle, cropped by a halo of earthy green and orange. The painting ended up with a mythical, almost fantasy look. I suppose that this is what fall/summer looks like when the two seasons blur together. You can see the same group of sunflowers on a sunny day, or on a rainy day.

Sunflowers Fall Colours, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3566a)

Basketball court with leaves

 

Over in Coffee Park leaves had fallen over the basketball court creating interesting contrasts. The contrasts were between the leaf colour, yellow, and the court colour, neutral violet. Also, the smooth playing surface contrasted against the rough and chaotic leaves strewn about. Its a very difficult effect to achieve in watercolour because you can not paint bright yellow over top of grey. Instead, I painted the playing surface first using a cool neutral grey (PB60 + PV19 + PY43) leaving random pieces of paper showing through roughly in the shapes of leaves. Then I painted over the yellow, orange and brown colours. The basketball net carries the picture, it links the textured foreground to the tightly composed background elements. Before I paint, I usually find a good angle on the scene. In this case, the rest of Coffee Park was surrounded by construction fence. They have razed the old shed, and are building a new shed in a more forward location. I will have to make a painting of it when its done.

Basketball court with leaves, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3565a)

Fall Colours on Terrebonne

 

As the sun descended after work I made this painting on my usual walk home on Terrebonne street. They were doing some roadwork and there were orange signs, pylons and barricades strewn about the sidewalk and road. The bright orange of the construction objects was an interesting harmony with the other fall colours including bright yellow leaves on the foreground tree and some red leaves on background trees. Since summer isn't over yet, actually it is, but there was still a lot of green in the lawns and other foliage. The orange was with benzi deep orange (PO36) a paint from Da Vinci company that is heavily pigmented and slightly darker and lower than pyrol orange (PO73) which I used to make the pumpkin personality painting. The two oranges look almost identical, but their mixing properties are quite different. When mixed with cool colours PO36 tends to make browns, while PO73 tends to make violets. They should make a bright orange paint and call it Montreal Orange.  

Fall Colours on Terrebonne, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3564b)

Night Strands

The other day I was pondering how to paint the night sky at various stages. When the sun goes down the sky is a pale cyan with pale orange or salmon hues on the horizon and the clouds can be bright orange or magenta. About thirty minutes later, the sky is dark blue, dark cyan, and a rusty red/violet that I can mix with indo blue (PB60) and pyrol orange (PO73). After that it gets more difficult, the sky is a very dark almost greenish magenta, and dark blue, almost black when looking up. the closest I got to capturing that effect was in the painting called Night with Table Tennis. There was also Dépanneur Yo Yo, where I wrote that the sky was a darkened cyan (PB15 blue plus some PBk6 black) blended with pure indo blue (PB60) to the top of the painting. Clouds at night can be silvery, or in Montreal they can reflect the green-yellow lights of the city. Whatever the time of day, the sky will be more blue the higher up you look. In the abstract painting above, I was experimenting with various combinations of paint to determine which might work for the night sky. The main theme was turquoise, mixed with phthalo green (PG7) and phthalo blue (PB15). I also mixed indo blue with phthalo blue but its chroma was too high. Adding black makes it dry dull and neutral. So I did not figure it out, but next time I paint a night sky I have few extra ideas to try out.  

Night Strands, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, October 2023 (No. 3650b)

Pumpkin Personality

 

What prompted this monstrosity of a painting was my recent purchase of Winsor and Newton's red orange, otherwise known as pyrol orange (PO73). It is one of the highest chroma paints out there, it looks like a brand new traffic cone on a bright sunny day. I used it for the eyes of the creature, and then mixed with various amounts of indo blue (PB60) and magenta (PR122) to see what it looked like. When dry, I painted pure pyrol orange on top of the indo blue and created a neat tattoo effect on the creatures legs. In the scan, all of the orange comes out looking tomato red. When I paint actual pylons, I make them yellow-orange so that they scan as pure orange. I guess now that I bought the paint again I have to go find some pylons to paint. Not a tough task in Montreal!

Pumpkin Personality, watercolour 9 x 12" watercolour paper, October 2023 (No. 3650a)

Tired Old Tree

Walking home I stopped on Sherbrooke to make this painting looking down one of the cross roads. A tall tree was illuminated by the descending sun, the bottom portion in shadow from a tall condo building on the right. The parked cars were depicted with an economy of brush strokes, just three or four for each car. I use different combos for grey...the building in shadow is red ochre (PR101) with indo blue (PB60), the cars were magenta (PV19) with blue green (PG7) and some carbon black (PBk6), and the road was magenta (PV19), blue (PB60) and yellow ochre (PY43). Its a little excessive to use that many colours to make grey, the main reason I do it that way is to allow for adjustments. If the road needs to be warmer I add yellow, cooler I add more of the blue. The grant I have been writing is due tomorrow, so maybe I am the tired old tree. 

Tired Old Tree, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3564a)

PJD Vista with Sculpture

I was going to turn back at the Victoria bridge but decided to continue on to st Helen's island where the tourists and concert goers hang out at Park Jean Drapeau (PJD). Usually, at this time I am making the final bike rides of the year to the far reaches of my range, because after it snows I am pretty limited as to where and how far I can ride. But it seems the summery weather is going to keep up for awhile longer. The trees are changing colour, like you see in this burning bush in the foreground. I painted it with an amazing mixture of deep scarlet (PR175) and perlene green (PBk31). Deep scarlet is the colour of a ripe cherry, and with small dabs of perylene green it looks like red wine. The rest of the painting was straightforward and it all looked rather bland until I added the interesting sculpture in the background which is right near the edge of the river. The main reason I was standing here was that a tree was providing enough shade. It is a bizarre condition to paint in... blue sky, summer temperature, leaves falling, and leaves changing colour slowly but surely. 

PJD Vista with Sculpture, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3563a)

Victoria Bridge for Trains and Cars

 

Taking advantage of the continued warm weather I rode across the river on the ice control bike path to the seaway bike path, then headed east until the old Victoria bridge, there since 1859. The first part I encountered is only for trains, it goes on an angle until intersecting with the main bridge span. It had a blend of faded green and rust colour, which I assume to be old paint probably chromium green which is obviously falling off. In the foreground were sumac trees turning red, while some skyscrapers could be seen in the background. My main goal was to paint the bridge accurately and get all the spans correct for once, which worked out well enough.

Victoria Bridge for Trains, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3562a)

 

Another few minutes down the path and I passed the car portion of the Victoria bridge and found a spot on Ile st Helen to look back in a westerly direction. In the distant background is the new Champlain bridge. Actually, the train portion that I had just painted, and the ice control bridge were also visible here but the narrow paper format precluded too much detail. I've learned more about the st Armand paper, mainly to paint fast, use more water on the brush, and avoid too much detail. The paper was a good choice for this painting because it created interesting textural effects on the bridge and the water below.

Victoria Bridge for Cars, watercolour 4 x 12", rough press st Armand, October  2023 (No. 3647b)