Bike Ride Lachine Canal path from end to end

With a chance of rain I rode down to Lachine park where they have an area called arboretum which means tree area. I've been waiting for these trees to turn red, today they were a mix of pale pink, greenish and some dark red. The dandelions were very prominent, bright yellow against a rich yellow-green. This park is just next to the beginnings of the Lachine canal, although that would be behind me from this vantage point.

To paint the dandelions the grass is done first, leaving little holes were the flowers go, then the yellow is applied over top. I used yellow paint that has code PY154, and a touch of orange which has paint code PO62. The paint codes are on the tubes, and there are some tables of information also available on the internet, but the best place to go is Blundell's website and check out her labeled colour swatches. 
 

Pinkish Trees next to st Laurence River, watercolour, 5 x 7" cold press, May 2024

 

This white blossoming tree was almost glittering in the bright sun. It reminded me a lot of a Monet painting, where he had a woman in a pink tress reading a book underneath a tree like this. The tree was done with a wet in wet wash to begin. After that dried I applied several textural layers from light to dark. Finally I daubed in some brighter yellows and yellow-oranges. The hardest part was the grassy area with dandelions, my wrist ached a little after doing all the brushwork! It took a little while this one, but it was worth it. Of course I had to throw in the fire hydrant and row of cars on st Patrick street.

White blossoming tree next to bike path, watercolour 8 x 10" 80lb cold press, May 2024

 

At the end of a great ride down the canal path, slaloming through all the pedestrians and slow cyclists, I made it to the peel Basin which is the other end of the Lachine canal. The old rusty train bridge is on the bottom, it is still in use, while the new elevated commuter bridge is just above it, you can see one of the weekend rail car pairs going across. A pile of condos adorns this part of Montreal, they keep jamming them into this neighborhood. I was glad that there were only a few dandelions to paint here!

Bridges over Canal Peel Basin, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, May 2024