Convenience stores in Point st Charles

If there is one thing that defines Québec and especially Montréal, it would be the dépanneur otherwise known as a convenience store or corner store.Quite literally, many of these small shops are located on the corner of a building, often with apartments beside and on top. Some of them have other specialties like craft beer, flowers, deli sandwiches for example. For the most part they make their living from alcohol, cigarettes, lotto tickets, junk food and overpriced milk. Although, if you look around the prices can be lower in a shop like this as compared to the grocery stores. This old buildings looks like early 19th century construction, it has that typical green trim and reddish bricks.

Dépanneur Charlevoix, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, November 2024

The main drag in Point st Charles is the aptly named Centre street. There are like 5 convenience stores on this street alone, and over a dozen of them in this small neighborhood. For variety, I set up on an angle, and painted the bottom part of the sign and portions of the door and window. They city has recently resurfaced most of the roads and completed a wonderful array of bike paths. I could easily get around town safely and make these paintings.

Dépanneur Centre, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, November 2024

Technically not a dépanneur this one is branded as a mart (marché) since it has produce and perishables like spices and sauces on its shelves, along with the usual lotto tickets and other vices. To avoid a frontal scene which would have put me in the shadowed side of the street, I found this angle standing on the sidewalk. It made for a tricky perspective, which I established by holding my brush up to guage the angles. You see the small second story balconies that are typical for such buildings. I tried to get the glare effect on the facade... that occurs when the sun is on an angle, it makes the colours appear to be washed out. John Little the late Montreal painter did the glare effect in one of his paintings so I tried it here. If you saw what this scene looked like in real life, I have to say the painting does it justice and then some.

Marché KC, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, November 2024