Locks along Lachine canal

Locks are water control structures that allow boats to safely change elevations. The Lachine rapids drops down about ten meters; these locks can allow small craft to bypass the river, and it must be kind of fun to go through them on a boat. In this painting, it is the very end (or beginning) of the canal, that little sliver of water you see at the bottom is the same level as the st Lawrence river around the Old Port Montreal. Everything was a shade of brown, grey or blue... I am good at those colours by now! 

Lock under bridge, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025

Here is another lock, further upstream, it was closed here, holding back the water. The geometry on the canal shapes is complicated, the doors are at odd angles and the concrete walls have all sorts of angles and elevations. The colours were darker and more orange where the high water mark is located about half way up the doors and walls of the lock. 

Closed lock, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025

Next to the lock there is an overflow water fall to prevent the Lachine canal from backing up. This is the same falls I painted from the other angle last year, in fact one of the best paintings of 2024. When I do a painting of the locks I always think of that one. But not every painting can be best one ever. 

Lock falls, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025

Those massive condo buildings in the background used to be some sort of factory along the canal. There were a lot of factories along the canal since they could get raw materials, and then ship out the finished product using the trains and the canal. By the 1970's or so the canal was an open sewer and dumping ground. Now it is officially a federal park, run by parks Canada. 

Open lock, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025