With nothing but blue skies this afternoon it seemed like a great day for painting, however, a cold and bitter wind made it more challenging. This scene is looking north along the Decarie, I am standing on Isabella street that crosses over the highway. In the background there is an old factory/warehouse partly converted into retail space, while in the foreground there is a common gas station chain although I changed the symbol to a smiley face. Considering that most of the scene was backlit, it was important to make a strong composition and create shadowed areas that were really glowing. Knowing my way around grey shades was something that developed during the Montreal Metro series. It came to my attention that grey has as many hues as there are colours. If you look at the support posts under the gas station roof for example, their left side is a cool greenish grey, their right side is a warm orange grey. The purple grey of the background building provides the perfect complement to the dark yellow features on the station.
Gas Station at Decarie and Isabella, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, March 2024
In this hectic scene, there were an endless stream of cars going along the road, which has an interesting S shape as it recedes upwards into the distance. Boxy condos line the street, and soaring white and beige high-rises adorn the background. Getting the cars right is always tricky since they are moving, I am starting to get better at it, you see here the cars have various perspectives and tilts. I have a mild disdain for the traffic especially on the weekends, so the cars are painted in a grotesque kind of way on purpose.
Cote st Luc road looking East, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, March 2024
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