After the final exam downtown I made a quick painting standing next to my bike, with all the exams bundled up in my bike pack. The scene shows the Hall building in the background, with some buildings and a line of traffic in the foreground. The bike path is off to the bottom right. I didn't initial this one because the painting was so moist. You can take a photo on this location and paint at home, but it would never turn out quite like this. Standing on location you have to imagine the noise of busy traffic going in both directions along Maisonneuve and Guy streets, crowded sidewalks with people talking and walking by, and a chilly dark night with breeze. I think all of those elements come together to create a kind of energy in the painting. Since the eye is more sensitive than a camera, I can also pick up subtle colour variations in the sky and shadow areas that would otherwise show up as a flat charcoal-black in a photo. These are some of the reasons to paint on location. It takes a lot of experience though, especially in the dark and cold. Occasionally people will talk to you, which adds another challenging element.
Hall Building Night, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, December 2023 (No. 3674b)
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