Paintings from under the highway

Its not often I see another painter, let alone one standing by his bicycle painting a scene under a highway. Actually, he seemed to spend more time talking to people as they passed by than actual painting. He had some kind of collapsible easel which was interesting, of course oil painters need to use an easel for some reason. Watercolours can not be painted in an easel because the paint runs down creating a mess. I made a painting of the oil painter as he chatted away, along with the elevated highway in the background. I was going to cross the street and talk to the painter, but I did another painting and he was gone when I turned around. 

Oil painter under the highway, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2024

 

Montreal has what we call 'concrete artists' they are the construction workers who know how to bend and curve concrete to their will. The old factory warehouse in Mile End, the one with the rusty water tower on top that I have painted many times, has this curving concrete parking lot which looks like you see in the painting when viewed from st Laurent street. Its a challenging scene, done with a brief painted outline, then filled in piece by piece.

Curved concrete, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2024

 

Standing under the curving highway, I found this interesting view of the highway overhead, and the warehouse with rusty water tower in the background. Under the highway there is a skateboard park that always has people there hopping over the obstacles. I left the figures out of the scene, although most of them were sitting on the rocks taking a break.

Skate park under highway,  watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2024