Looking back: London Ontario ducks, campus, The Bay

Going back 20 odd years, and they were odd indeed, here is a scene of some ducks on grass in front of what I suspect is the Thames river in London Ontario. I was there at University of Western doing a bachelor's of science followed by a doctorate, making paintings along the way. These paintings are done sometime between 2000 - 2004. The signature is in cerulean blue so its probably 2002. 

Ducks near Thames, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 200x 

I know this scene very well, I walked past it hundreds of times on my way to the research laboratory in Robart's Research Institute. For some reason there is what appears to be a Hungarian flag in the background. 

Walkway overpass, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 200x

Perhaps too honest of a depiction, here is an empty parking lot and the Bay in the background. I actually remember doing this one, towards the end of my stay in London, its probably 2003 or 2004. The clouds are neat.  

The Bay empty parking lot, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press,  200x

 

Happy Canada day, stormy day

Down in st Pierre the city has nearly finished the massive road work project, most of the road is paved and sidewalks fresh concrete. Near the old disused train tracks, a group of tents were set up, one had a faded Canada flag, the other a Mohawk flag which I recognized. Cars were all around, do people wonder what I am painting?

Tents Canada and Mohawk flags, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026

 

Somehow evoking the Group of Seven, this painting shows a concrete factory under a stormy sky. I had to paint the underlayers first, do another painting, and finish it when dry. 

Concrete facotry stormy day, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026

 

A looping gravel path connects the bridge to the bike path next to the canal. You have to be careful zooming down this path with oncoming bikes in both directions. A large tree grows here, its a great tree to paint, large chunks of bark and subtle orange-olive colouring. 

Path to path tree canal, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026

 

This old bridge is still really active, at one point in history it could raise and lower, hence the large counter-balance. Now its fixed in place because only small recreational watercraft are allowed on the canal. 

Bridge green reflections, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026

 

Waiting for the concrete factory painting to dry, I turned and did this one quickly, just trying to see if I could get the car right and capture its rare olive-orange colour. I still have some work to do, of course, cars only sit there for a few seconds, and I am not working from photographs.  

Lemon lime car, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026 

Jazz Festival dancing shapes night lights

Getting down to the Jazz Festival at Place des Arts and the rain held off thankfully. I found a good spot to paint from, using my bike, with a good white light overhead. People were walking past and looking, taking pictures, making positive comments as I painted to the music. 

Yellow spotlights, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026

A tree in the midst of all the music and action seemed to be dancing. Stage lights shifted to blue and magenta. 

Dancing tree, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026

Billows of stage-smoke were released into a pale blue spotlight, creating this eerie, magical effect. Creating a silhouette line accentuated the musicality of the crowd shape. Let jazz course through your veins when painting at a festival. 

Blue stage smoke, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026

The question mark signifies an information kiosk. Stage lights cast angular shadows on the pavement. An array of street lights and festival decorations provided interesting shapes. 

Cross shadows question mark, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026

Finally, a scene of a bar stand, accentuating yellow with a purple contrast in the background. It started raining a little and I packed up happy with these results. The rain held off on the way home too.  A good time was had by all. 

Jazz Bar, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, July 2026