Vanishing Landscapes rural scenes

Years ago I painted an old farmhouse, it was on Columbia way in Caledon near the neighborhood where my parents live. The old house was knocked down long ago, 25 years, and the city put a moratorium on further development of the surrounding farmland. Until now that is, the area was rezoned for development. So here is one of the last scenes from the view, looking north. 

Rural farm vista, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

On the corner with 8th line, there was a pile of cut up tree trunks and stumps... those pesky trees just get in the way of the view. In the background is a cornfield, its not part of the rezoning (looking due east). 

Trees down houses up, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026  

 

On the left is the farm, which has been growing wild for a long time, on the right is a partially completed development retail building, where people will go and pick their brick colour and tile patterns. 

Building of development, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

Looking up the 8th line, I filled in the farm-vista colours, but created tension with an obtrusive sign, and black scumbles where the lands was scraped clean (near where trees were cut down.  It been a good run, painting this area for 25 years, and there is more scenery like this just a bit further up the 8th line. 

8th Line sign, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, August 2026 

Looking back: London Ontario a few more scenes

Just a few more paintings in the London collection, actually who am I kidding, there are like about 50 left to show! I will travel the next several days so the blog will be silent but two of my biggest fans will get to see me and Cilei, and a few paintings, in real life (IRL). This scene is Middlesex college, despite its nice outwards appearance it was a real dump inside and the University of Western was renovating it around the time I left. The best part was the Grad Club (a campus pub) with a great patio where we used to hang out. 

Sunset Middlesex College,watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

 

Seeing this painting again made me laugh a bit, so I loved painting auto shops even 25 years ago. Its surreal to think about it as 25 years ago, I can remember painting this one on location.  I was really into painting backlit scenes, not afraid to take on the shadow elements, and a range of greys. I like how the van has light reflecting off its lower portion, but its reflecting blue light from the sky on the upper portion. 

London Auto light and shadow, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

 

Same scene, its Middlesex college but with recent snowfall. It took a touch of skill to get the tree done, I worked out some of those techniques at a conference in Keystone Colorado around that time. 

Snowfall Middlesex College, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 

Another funny one, so I was painting orange traffic signs back then too! Its interesting because in the background there is a Blockbuster Video store partly visible, and a for rent sign over top. At the time, these video stores were on their last legs as businesses. I composed the scene to have orange-blue contrast. The yellow elements in shadow, I think its a sign and a mail box, were well done, its a hard shade of yellow to make. I have to admit looking back on my work from this era has the feel of seeing a different artist, and therefor being able to appreciate it more than I probably did at the time. 

Construction blockbuster, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press,

Busted Bentley twilight

A Bentley GT convertable sedan sped off the Decarie expressway, up to Sherbrooke street, probably going to pick up some rotisserie chicken at the BBQ Chalet? Jokes aside, its not often you get to paint a close-up of such an expensive car, like fully loaded, it costs close to half a million dollars now a days. This one wasn't worth it though, it was parked at the local Auto Mechanic who specializes in fixing expensive cars like a purple Ferrai. It happens to be a good spot to stand and paint, on the sidewalk looking due north, and there is a strong light overhead which helps. The car seems to emerge from the gloomy night, sparkling with chrome and reflective black paint. You have to imagine the noisy din of the highway with the occasional roaring engine of a motorcycle racing past. 

Busted Bentley twilight, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, August 2026

Somebody let the professor out again

A few years ago I got stuck in at the office working on grant applications, the blog was called Somebody let the Scientist out of the Office to howl at the moon. Today was somewhat similar, grant writing, office and a full moon. The first painting is just outside the building looking due south at the rising moon. Tea-coloured due to haze and atmospheric effects, the moon hung over a parking lot, and the commuter train went by. 

Tea moon over campus, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Towards Sherbrooke and Decarie boulevard there is a KFC restaurant, I did a painting here last year from a different angle. Using artistic license I changed the sign to PJD and tried to make Colonel Sanders look a bit like me. I need to get glasses too, and some white hair is appearing, so it will come true eventually just need the goatee.  

PJD fried chicken, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Here you see the moon sitting over Chalet Bar-B-Q rotisserie on Sherbrooke near Decarie. It was a tricky painting, with several light sources popping against a purple and brown background. It was good to take my mind of science for a bit, but still more work to go on the grants. 

Moon over rotisserie, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

Looking back: London Ontario a few more memories

I always liked this one, it shows a bunch of bee bomb flowers in the background with an ashtray in a clay pot in the foreground. The textures and shadowing are quite realistic. Its done around 2004 in London Ontario at the Graduate Club, a University of Western pub. 

Bee bombs ash tray, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 

A complex scene of concrete structures, buildings, and an ornate lamp. I was on a kick of painting lamps for awhile. The sky is neat, it has the blue-cyan transition, probably using combinations of French ultramarine (PB29) and cerulean blue (PB35). 

Lamp concrete downtown, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 

Just outside the building I lived in for about 5 years, Bayfield hall, this shows my favorite dumpster, a crab apple tree, and a large utility shed. The sun was almost down and I really caught a nice amber-tint on the scene. 

Dumpster and shed, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 

One of the last times I set foot in the lab, as I was preparing to leave London Ontario for Montreal. I spent a lot of time here working away on experiments for a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology. Part of the hospital can be seen through the window. That cylinder on the ground is a liquid nitrogen storage tank. 

Lab bench, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press,  

 

Curio Folio: Minimmunologist

Who thought they would ever need a mini immunologist? If you ever saw the movies 'Fantastic Voyage' or 'Innerspace' then you know the concept of shrinking a person down and injecting them into a real-sized person's veins. I mean, its nuts. But the difference is that those were make-believe movies, while my Curio Folio is exclusively made up of real things, that actually happen in real life. Such is the mini-immunologist. It was another idea I had for a grant application, and to provide 'preliminary data' I made a protoype of the mini-immunologist, or minimmulogist for short. Upon injection into the veins of a participant, the minimmunologist located into the lymph nodes where it observed the immune response. Who better to do it than an immunologist? They even wore little blue latex gloves for sterility, as you see in this watercolour painting I made from my view into a microscope showing a lymphnode. The possibilities are endless!

Curio Folio: Minimmunologist, watercolor 6 x 7.5 cold press, 2026

Verdun and Lachine canal night scenes

Here are the last of the weekend paintings, including a neat scene of a freight train going over a low bridge on the Lachine canal. In the background, you see the city skyline with Atwater Market clock tower in the middle-ground and Villa Maria building with its famous sky-light in the background. The train flew by, so I memorized the shape and colour of a few cars, settling on perylene maroon (PR179) for their colour. 

Train city lights canal, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Yes this dépanneur is called Johnny Dep, clever eh? I renamed it Dep PJD in the painting. A 3/4 moon hung low in the sky against a fairly clear sky. As usual I used indo blue (PB60) and pyrol orange (PO73) for the sky. Painting on the backs of old paintings is tricky due to paper consistency, I am looking forward to getting back to new paper. 

Johnny Dep, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Here I am standing near the canal, the same spot as for the first painting, and the same spot that I did the famous Night Goose painting. In the background, you see part of the Verdun electrical station, and beside it, one of the towers from the aqueduct water plant. They illuminate the tower with a blue-violet flood light. which I captured with phthalo blue (PB15). 

Aqueduct tower electrical, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

Pleasant scenes Lasalle and area

I generally paint what I see while on location, trying to capture the 'ethos' of the area. In the case of Lasalle it was cars, roads, and industrial themes. Not to mention, tons of duplex and triplex housing. Wanting to get away from the din of the highway, I found a path down to Lefebvre park, just a small recreational park with green grass and yellow flowers. The fence had a 'no dogs' sign, or maybe 'no dog heads' sign I couldn't tell from the graphic. At any rate, I changed the fence into a post, and included the fire hydrant to complete the joke. No dogs urinating on this hydrant please! 

No dogs hydrant, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Next I got down to the riverside, and found this view of a small recreational fishing boat moored on a dock. From this angle, looking west, you could see all the way down the st Lawrence river. 

Small recreational fishing boat, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

After the boat scene, I carried on along the path until Ranger park. Its a river-side park with great views, and plenty of thick greenery. Old asphalt and gravel walking paths wind through the park, which has benches and picnic tables. In early spring, tens of thousands of small 'may flies' congregate here. 

Ranger park green and blue, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Finally for the daytime paintings from yesterday, I found a disused pier once used for boat launches. Now it hold an 'aquatic police station' which is essentially an outpost for boat rescues. They had a giant pontoon boat with huge motors and some other crafts ready for action. The whole pier section is now open to pedestrians and bikes, so I rode to the end of it, and found this neat metal sculpture. The white-enamel slices were arranged so as to look like beluga whale tails. 

Whale tail sculpture, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026 

Lasalle: cars bridges river

As I toured around Lasalle yesterday by bicycle, there were plenty of cars, highways and bridges to paint. Here is a scene of a complex merge heading onto the Mercier bridge. I was standing on a patch of grass on the Lafleur x Airlie corner. 

Mercier merge, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

One of the many streets, Cordner, and a long warehouse in the background. It was rather noisy and unpleasant here so I painted fast. Main thing, there was a walking path going between houses that I could stand on and make this painting. The path leads to Lefebvre park where I made another more pleasant painting, will post on a separate blog.  

Cars long warehouse, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026 

 

The elevated lanes going to Mercier bridge had this tunnel underneath for bikes and pedestrians to get across the neighborhood. Connectivity is important, so that these highway structures don't carve up the neighborhood like they used to in the old days. 

Bridge underpass, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

From the same location as the previous painting, I was enjoying the sun and heat finally. You see the two halves of the Mercier bridge on a unique perspective, with a utility trailer parked in the middle. The grass embankments go up to elevated highways. 

Mercier bridge perspectives, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

And here you see the st Lawrence river flowing right to left, and the Mercier bridge soaring over to the south shore. 

Mercier bridge river flow, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Lasalle: more industrial scenes

Lasalle is a typical working class neighborhood, with the sprawling Labatt beer brewery, Fliechman's yeast plant, and numerous light industrial warehouses and factories. In this scene you see the tall Budweiser water tower with a bus waiting at a desolate stop, and the Labatt brewery in the background. I was standing in the middle of the bus depot, it was a large round area paved in old asphalt, grass was pushing up through the edges of the area. There was a cool breeze and sun shining, I was really in my element here. 

Bus depot Bud tower, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, August 2026

 

Some kind of giant funnel attached to a blue bin, on one of the many factory-warehouses. Its near where I painted the Van Gogh-inspired tree. It was the first painting of the day, there were a lot more to come. 

Factory equipment blue bin, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026 

 

I got a view of the brewery, this part was where trucks could pick up bottles and cans I assume, although it was very quiet there yesterday. Well, quiet except for the never-ending traffic, it was amazing how many cars there were in Lasalle. The iconic Labatt sign was changed to PJD26 using my artistic license.

Labatt sign, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026  

 

Here is a view behind one of the massive brick-red factory complexes. Its the business end, where you see towering power lines feeding into the buildings and train tracks ready for cargo. I'm sure those buildings will be condos one day! 

Power lines tracks factories, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026 

 

Between the tracks and the factories there is a well grown stretch of wild plants including grasses and reeds. It makes for a mini-ecosystem with birds and insects. I contrasted the two elements with a natural bottom half, and industrial top half. 

Power station plant growth, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026 

 

Near the bus stop there was this row of empty truck trailers, lined up and opened to the air. Not sure if they were operational, perhaps when the brewery makes a big order they need more trailers. 

Row of empty trucks, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026  

 

 

Lasalle: Intersection Van Gogh tree

I took a little detour on my bike, turning west on Cordner street in Lasalle. Wide streets were lined with light industrial buildings and old concrete sidewalks. Despite it being Saturday morning there were an inordinate number of cars driving about, one thinks Montreal could have a car-free day or something to give it a rest. At any rate, I found some desolate, almost ominous scenes down in Lasalle like this one of the Leger street intersection with a prominent Van Gogh-inspired tree on the corner. I did a number of paintings today and will post the rest of them later. Duty calls. 

Intersection Van Gogh tree, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, August 2026

Sundown moon up Peel basin views

Getting down to Peel basin by bike and I caught some views of the sunset near the Canadian maltage company. Pastel blue, orange and purple made a nice combination next to the concrete super-towers. My initials adorned the top of the structure. 

Sunset grain silos, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

A crescent moon hung over the highway. Blues, greens, and shadows made for a cool colour scheme. 

Moon up over highway, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

Warm amber light emanated from the setting sun. Lights under the bridge illuminated an outdoor gym. I made good use of orange paint (PO62), with plenty of indo blue (PB60) and burnt yellow ochre (PR102). Dark magenta (PV55) and blue-green (PG7) also add to the pastel-shadowy effects. 

Sunset city under bridge, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026 

Looking back: London Ontario, seasons, campus, grad club

Looking back through my collection of paintings from 20+ years ago, here is a scene of a fancy building in London Ontario with a slate roof. The snow was melting that day I recall, and the painting conditions were excellent. Its a subtle range of neutral beige, yellow and violet, with stark contrast of sun-lit snow. I had a nice touch back then when things came together. 

Slate roof snow melt, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

 

A neat composition, with poppies in the foreground and the art building, new at the time, in the background. I did a series of paintings from this location from different angles, probably towards 2003 or 2004 the year I left London for Montreal. 

Poppies art building, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

 

From a similar location, but back in the tree line, I caught this view looking at the rear of the art building and Middlesex college in the background. The University of Western campus was really well maintained. It looks like Spring time.  

Forest art building Middlesex college,  watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

 

A more detailed view of the iconic clock tower, seen behind green trees, probably a summer painting. 

Middlesex college overcast, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

 

And one of my favorite places to go, its the grad club... graduate club, not much of a club, rather a pub where students and professors hung out and drank beer on tap. A large tent with many long picnic tables on a large stone patio off the back off the Middlesex college building. Its here that I once bragged to my friends about painting at least 5,000 paintings, to which they reacted with disbelief. And rightly so, by my recent count I was probably only at around 500 paintings by then! Now its getting over 8000, but like 25 years later lol. I'll have to arrange a reunion just to give them a more accurate update, and maybe have a pint. 

Grad club, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press

 

Falaise pathway and Lachine canal scene

Here are a few more paintings from the weekend. The first ones were done from the Falaise escarpment bike and pedestrian path. Its a wide gravel path running parallel with the train tracks and the escarpment which has st Jacques street at the top. Where I am standing, about in the middle of the 2km path, it has a fork that goes up into the forest and opens up onto the sidewalk near the Akhavan grocery store. You can see the winding path up the hill in this blog. 

Falaise path wildflowers trees, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

Same location looking due south, you see tracks and highway in the middle ground, and a gantry crane in the background which set along side the Lachine canal (unseen). I reduced foliage in the foreground to show the landscape, its actually pretty heavily grown now. They restored this area about four or five years ago now.  

Tracks highway gantry crane, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

 

You can see part of Notre Dame street and the Kruger cardboard recycling plant off to the left, with a gravel field full of wildflowers on the right center and bottom. This gravel field becomes more grown each year, now small trees are taking root. The city plans to turn all of it into some kind of managed forest with access points for visitors. Its a shame, I'd like to see how it retores itself naturally after being a highway for 75+ years. I made several paintings around here, including my favorite one of cosmos flowers.  

Wild flowers Kruger warehouse, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026 

 

I did more paintings than I thought yesterday... here is one of the view into Kruger cardboard recycling. Their are great stacks of shredded paper and cardboard, with heavy industrial cylinder-silos in the background. They installed an official 'viewing port' in the fence, so I thought somebody like me should use it to make a painting!

Kruger plant overcast, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026   

 

And a scene of the good old Lachine canal, with a busy bike path on the lower left. The red deck-chairs in the background are quite popular, and people picnic around here in the summer. 

Lachine canal bikes pedestrians, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026  

A few scenes painted down in Verdun

Here is a typical scene from Verdun, lots of green and brown, its Lasage street which runs parallel with the aqueduct. Streets are wide and many of the buildings are two or three-story condos around here, with some aluminum siding. In the background, there are massive power lines that I downplayed in the paintings. 

Lasage street wide view, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Looking in the other direction, standing near the pizza shop, I made a painting of this spiralling stair case with white iron railings. Like a DNA double helix, it swooped around with rows of steps. Its a hard thing to paint so I just went with the shape and theme of it without too much concern. Today's sky was a murky blue-green with wispy clouds. 

Lasage street vertical view, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

This wall is red, no doubt for covering graffiti. Someone (PJD26) had painted their name over top. The old factory is now an art studio, and some other small business sharing the ample space. These artisan-factory converts are always under threat of development. Its on the corner with Hickson street. 

Old factory red wall, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026

Its a rare painting of the aqueduct. Most of the views are blocked by tall plants all along, and the bridge views are rather noisy and unpleasant locations. Today the Sunday traffic was light. To make the water colour I blend dilute phthalo blue (PB15) with raw umber (PBr7). I got a new tube of raw umber by Daniel Smith from the Kama pigment company by mail order awhile ago. Its a chocolatey brown colour like fresh earth or dark ground coffee.  

Aqueduct curve, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2026