Five easy (river) pieces

Of course there is a famous Jack Nicholas movie called Five Easy Pieces about piano music and other things, since I made five paintings today and they were relatively easy it was a fitting title. There was a time that painting the st Lawrence river was a mysterious challenge and I tried all kinds of tings, now I understand the colour transitions better and know how to paint them. At a distance, its a bluish-violet with white highlights, then a blue or turquoise in the middle, then a brownish caramel colour near the shore. Where there are waves, they tend to look brown or yellowish, maybe reddish. 

Far shore, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, June 2025

 

In this view you see the breakwater in the foreground, its the shoreline of Lachine park where the sculptures are. The far shore would be the reserve. In this version I amped up the green and turquoise that you see when the sun is out. With clouds, its more greyish. 

Two shores, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, June 2025

 

Here is the sculpture at the end of the park, I've never painted it because, well, it looks kind of subject to interpretation. Maybe it fell over at some point. I usually avoid painting other people's art but every now and then I make a version of a mural or a sculpture if the rest of the landscape calls for it. 

Park thing, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, June 2025 

 

A bunch of small single person or double person boats were zipping around the shore near the lighthouse at Stony point Lachine. It was very windy, so they were going fast and lilting significantly. I used to sail and quite enjoyed it, maybe its something I can get back into. 

Small boats, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, June 2025 

 

Next to the bike path in Lasalle I caught an interesting view east just before the rapids begin.... the blue mountain in the background is probably mount st Hilaire, I painted it larger than it was in real life for artistic effect. The thing in the middle is a small island. Mount st Hilaire has a sharp face and is located due south of Montreal. We hiked there once but you get a lot of city people hiking there and they like to talk, play music, walk slow, its kind of annoying for outdoorsy people.  

View east, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, June 2025