Old maltage factory and silos, Autumn

The old Canada maltage factory and silos are a re-occurring motif in my artwork along the Lachine canal. As the building slowly degrades, it also gains more and more graffiti. These large pink and white outlined tags were very prominent. Who knows who the PJD42 guy is, but they should catch him for vandalism.

Silos and graffiti, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2024

 

These three red trees were mostly in the shadow of the maltage factory, but their tops were illuminated by the sun. Getting the values correct the first time was key here, any fussing around would ruin the effect. When I asked ChatGPT to tell me how to make watercolours, it mentioned using many layers, but that advice is pretty old school. Most books say to layer paint which is a process called glazing, which is why ChatGPT said it, regardless of copyright. I do paint over layers, for example the black details on the shadow wall was done dry brush on top of the shadow wash. The deep, rich red of the trees however, was done with a mix of perylene maroon (PY179) and pyrol red (PR254) and a touch of magenta (PV55) and black (PBk6). By applying this mix once, not fussing, and letting it dry, you get the rich glowing red. There is no actual basis for 'glazing' other than it is a throwback to a time when watercolour paint was weak and gummy, and the artist had to apply many layers to build up colour. With modern pigments being so bright, glazing is an archaic and obsolete technique. Unless you want to do it, no problem, rules are meant to be broken. My only rule is that "you need to know a rule before you can break it."

Red trees shadow wall, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2024

 

Here we see the entrance to the old maltage factory and silos, as viewed through a tall fence. I contemplated trying to sneak in, but nothing there looked very safe, and it is clearly off limits. I wonder if they will knock it down one day? If they do, I could probably fill a book with all the paintings I have done of the scene.

Old maltage autumn colours, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2024