Sunday, January 12, 2025

Train bridge over canal, shadow in snow

Here is another painting of the iconic train bridge over the Lachine Canal, it is just about half-way between NDG and Lachine. This time, I painted it looking east, with the sun behind on the the left slightly. At this time of year, the sun sets almost exactly parallel with the canal, so you get neat effects. Here, my shadow was extending into the scene which you see in the bottom right. I was standing next to my bike painting. It was a complex scene with all sorts of weird angles from the canal going left to right and the bridge which is perpendicular. In the old days, this bridge could rotate, hence the concrete pillars, you see one in the background, and the other one is just beside me. When they closed the canal down, they welded this thing in place so it can no longer rotate. To do the sky, I used phthalo green blue shade (PG7), blended upwards with phthalo blue sapphire (PB15). Its important to have the Holbein version of phthalo blue because other companies put too much dispersant in the formula and its impossible to control to the extent required for the subtle sky affects you see here. Its one of the few areas where the brand actually matters. Same with yellow ochre, the Da Vinci one is the only one I've found with the correct how angle (a dull dijon mustard). I used the yellow ochre in the little sprigs of grass you see on the other side of the canal.

Train bridge shadow in snow, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, January 2025

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