Fusion scenes down at the Lachine canal

The gantry crane is an old steel structure, about 12 stories high, it used to lift cargo on and off barges from the Lachine canal. A disused train truck runs underneath it, which would have brought or delivered goods from the many factories in the vicinity. Nowadays, its a historical artifact and defining feature of the local landscape. Over the years I have painted it, including a good one done in the winter of 2022. Today, I tackled the reflection of the crane in the ripling water, with the murky side-walls of the canal visible in the foreground. Looking down, one could see the brown muck decending into a dark blue abysss, with yellow leaves sunk to the bottom, and a few leaves floating by on the surface. 

Gantry crane reflection, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2025

The other day it occured to me that I might paint on the front of old paintings. Like the Construction project down on Dollard street, you can see in the last painting a potato in the background because I did the painting on the front of an older painting. In the example above, I painted over a cutting from an old 'doodleism' painting I did awhile back, in order to make it look like I had put artwork on these silos. Its a kind of fusion painting... In my University days I was quite the experimental painter, and its fun to bring it back every now and then. 

Fusion silos, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2025

This one shows a close-up of the gantry crane with a painting underneath, but the forms got jumbled up creating the sensation of a fourth dimension, or something trippy. I think this style works better with a large surface such as the silos in the previous painting. 

Gantry crane fourth dimension, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, October 2025