Harley street is one of those hidden gems of Montreal, an artist's haven really. There was even a guy who used to sit on the sidewalk outside of the bakery trying to sell his paintings while also asking for spare change. I have painted here many times mostly due to proximity but also due to the subject matter of an old fashioned-modern community with many of the amenities such as this auto shop named Raffi auto service. Looming in the background is one of the massive apartment buildings up on Sherbrooke on the other side of the train tracks.
Raffi auto big tree, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, March 2025 (No. 4196b)
I saw these bits of glass on the road near the sidewalk at the end of Harley street and its likely from broken car windows. With the strong backlighting from the sun, the pale green glass was shimmering like diamonds. There is a recent Stones album called Hackney diamonds, a reference to smashed glass on the ground in a town in England, so I named this painting Harley diamonds. It was a tough effect to get, and the first time I tried it. Using side-drag with the asphalt colour I left some small white bits showing, then daubed on green and turquoise using a Caribbean palette. If I can get a better angle on this it may make a neat larger painting. A delivery truck was parked just in front of where I stood.
Harley diamonds study, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, March 2025 (No. 4197a)
Chairs in the field is a major theme around here, the locals drag chairs out here to enjoy sitting around and getting sun, since there is no park in the neighborhood, just Coffee park across the train tracks. In the background you see the remaining snow piled from the Reno depot parking lot, its got awhile yet before it completely melts. There is even snow on call for later this week. The velvety-olive grass was mostly yellow ochre (PY43) with perylene green (PBk31) and yellow-orange (PY110). Over top I daubed on burnt umber and carbon black for the leafy-compost textures.
Two red chairs (snow behind us), watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, March 2025 (No. 4198a)
What is more decadent than Harley diamonds? How about Harley truffles? You can see some on the sidewalk all around. Ironically, someone had dumped (illegally) a disused toilette on the sidewalk. The back was off but for the painting I visually reassembled the toilette (not in real life though ...I wouldn't get near the thing especially with the mountain of dog crap). Its been awhile since I painted dog crap, I try to make good paintings but this one turned out like s**t. In fact, its the s**tiest painting of the year. Adding to the ambiance was the commuter train rumbling by in the background. I almost walked past this considering the vulgarity of the scene, but the rich theme of a discarded toilette on the sidewalk with a pile of do-do laying beside it was too much.
Harley truffles, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, March 2025 (No. 4197b)
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