Dusk J&R Autoshop

The sky was a shade darker, with a rich violet tint. I mixed the sky colours with indo blue (PB60) and pyrrol orange (PO73) along with dabs of blue (PB15) and raw sienna (PBr7). It takes some practice to get used to those colour combinations, which produce a wide range of purplish or yellowish greys. The red-white and green in the gas pump area made for a good pop against the drab background. Small details like tree branches and the gas pump patterns were painted after it all dried. 

Dusk autoshop side, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, January 2026 

 

With heavy overcast clouds, the sunset was not visible but it was getting dark fast. This is a partial front view of Joe and Ralph Autoshop, the most painted business in NDG. It started snowing heavily so I retreated to the condo entrance way which is covered, and then finished the paintings inside. When painting such a scene, the value (relative darkness) between the sky and the lights has to be correct in order to convey the atmosphere. In this case, the sky was a pale grey-violet while the lamps were just white paper outlined in yellow or green-yellow. 

Dusk autoshop front, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, January 2026