Sun up over the train overpass

Stuck between work and dark place, so to speak, I got up early today and made some paintings at the Grand Boulevard pedestrian train overpass walkway. By work I mean teaching and research which are both busy these days, and the dark place is that it gets dark at like 4:30PM now, and cold. At some point it will be time to paint in the cold, but so far November is extremely mild. In the painting, I was on the sidewalk near Maisonneuve bike path looking up at the overpass, with the sun rising in the background.

Overpass sunrise, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, November 2026

Same spot but looking up the initial ramp, with a glimpse of the Maisonneuve traffic on the left. The overpass zig-zags on both sides of the train tracks, with a walkway going over top with tall fences. 

Overpass ramps, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, November 2026

Here is the view across the top part of the overpass, with train tracks down on the left. Amazingly, no trains went by as I painted, so it was unusually quiet, and the sun was decent. Eventually a commuter train did go by, but I did not include it in any of the paintings. I was going fast today to get in as many as I could before work. 

Overpass cross way , watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, November 2026

Its one of the few places you can get a view of the blue horizon, here on the cross way, looking due south west. Factory/warehouses line the tracks, and trees for the most part have lost their leaves. Emphasizing white and black highlights created a good sense of contrast. Pops of red, yellow and orange play well off of the blue horizon. 

Overpass blue horizon, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, November 2026

A puddle reflected the sun, creating an intriguing effect, along with complex angles. It was the most technical painting today, made more difficult by moist and cool conditions.  

Overpass puddle reflection, , watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, November 2026

Finally, a horizontal format showing the tracks perspective with cool blue-violet shadows. These tracks, along with the overpass structure made for some interesting compositions. I've painted here before, for example graffiti and angles, morning commuter train, and probably a few others. Which reminds me I need to update the catalogue soon, another big pile has built up. 

Overpass tracks shadows, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, November 2026