Downtown around Cabot square, pigeons, bins, empty lot

Down in Cabot square there is always some action and not always the kind you want to be around. But the people are generally just there to hang out and enjoy the blue sky in the midst of downtown Montreal. I got half way through this painting when a person came by yelling at something and the pigeons flew away. Oh well, the birds ended up looking like chickens!

Pigeons Cabot square, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, September 2026

Looking due north up Atwater avenue, that is Alexis Nihon mall on the left, and in the upper right is part of the old Forum arena which is clad in black now. The red hydrant anchored the whole scene, pyrol red (PR254) made it pop. That's the same red pigment used to paint Ferraris.

Blue green brown bins hydrant. watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, September 2026

I am by now familiar with the stages by which asphalt and gravel can gradually turn back into a forest given enough time. Once the hardy plants get through the rock-hard earth, they loosen things and then a field of grass and flowers will emerge, to be overtaken by tall trees eventually. This plot will be developed at some point, the city is just wrangling about what will be there. Its on Sherbrooke near the mall. The plot is a lot wider than depicted in the painting, I compressed its size to fit on this narrow aspect ratio. Today I dropped by Avenue des Arts after work and picked up some more watercolour paint and a few brushes. 

Empty lot growth, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, September 2026