Downtown jigsaw and reflections

Painting at the heart of downtown Montreal I saw many tall buildings fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle. Built during different eras, some were short and brick, others tall and clad in glass. The central building has shiny pink/yellow tinted glass which contrasted nicely with the gloomy sky. Getting the buildings to look straight is harder than it looks, I had to practice a lot to paint the straight vertical lines perpendicular with the horizon line. 

Downtown jigsaw, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025

This was the first painting I did today, being on the back of an old painting I cut up, the paper is sometimes unpredictable. In the old days I soaked the paper in water and let it dry before using it, which removes most of the sizing. Unfortunately, that also makes the paint absorb deeper into the paper which dulls the colour. I really noticed it here, the first pass was all grey and washed out, so I had to go over it a second time. Soon I will switch back to using new paper instead of old cut ups. 

Place des arts angles, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025

After painting the sky reflecting off three busses, I learned more about painting complex effects. In this example, the top of the glass facade was a transparent green-tinted glass, and the building across the street was visible. Another building, behind me, was reflecting off the facade glass. Its still a major challenge to paint these complex effects. In this case I used a three layer technique... the green tint first, the background and interior elements second, then the reflected building and highlights to complete the scene. 

Glass facade reflection, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, August 2025