Point st Charles is a working class neighborhood, although isn't every neighborhood 'working class' ? I found a way in today via the Lachine canal bike path, on a street called Rue Island off st Patrick. A train was going past on an overhead rail, with a fire-truck attending to an emergency on street level. Painting the lights on the fire-truck was key to making this painting work... I first established the red and orange outlines of the lights, then surrounded with a purplish grey to give contrast. Its more about what goes around the lights, has to be grey and darks, then contrast makes it pop. The light effect on the fire-truck is just like I remember seeing it, you get the sense of urgency and action. I am standing on Grand Trunk road looking south on Hibernia road.
Train over fire truck, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2026
On Grant Trunk road, this sports center is considered a legal graffiti wall... anyone can paint on it no problem. There was so much paint on the wall, it was peeling off in great sheets, dozens of layers visible like strata in an archeological site. The artists also painted over this garbage bin so many times it became abstract art. Painting with watercolour by hand was tricky, and I had to run through my whole palette of colour options to complete this painting. Fun. Next time I will bring along some spray paint.
Painted bin legal wall, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, June 2026
Here is a photo of the wall where the paint layers peeled off, you can see the remains of various murals that were painted over again and again....
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