In the background you see part of the famous old Canada Malt Factory, a derelict relic waiting to be razed and turned into condos. In the foreground, some old structures were cleared out leaving a vacant lot, one can only wonder if it too will become condos. When objects are back lit (the sun is behind them) they are entirely enveloped in shadow. It takes skill to paint this effect, with watercolour the tendency is to paint it too pale. Watercolours dry about a shade lighter, in particular with dark paints. The key is to keep the mixes simple and apply the paint in one clean wash without fussing or applying more layers. In doing so, I could create the intense warm brick colours, paired with the cool yellowish cinder-block wall and textured beige vacant lot. To cut through all the brown and grey I included two white cars in full highlight, and a gem-like blue sky. Using dark elements, like the flashing on top of the wall also helps make the grey colours seem to glow. To make the graffiti I applied blobs of water when the wash was still moist, blotted a little, then painted the graffiti over it when dry.
Old factory vacant lot, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, June 2024 (No. 3881)
No comments:
Post a Comment