Tall, taller and tallest

Last week I attempted this scene along the way, but the scale was not quite right even if the painting was dramatic. In this version, the scale is nearly perfect, I held up the paper to the scene, moved it away quickly, repeated a few times and it looked right. The left building is incredibly thin from this angle, while the right one is wide. I also got the connecting tunnel in this time. Too bad the building on the right looks like its leaning a bit and the paint is a bit heavy. 

Tall taller tallest v3, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4058b)

 

This was the first attempt on it, well second if I include last week. The finish on it is nice, the colours I mean, but when I held it up to the scene the scale of the building was about 30 or 40% too short. Its almost incomprehensible how tall this structure looks. Across the three paintings its all there, so now its a question of do I go back for another attempt? Its right along the maisonneuve bike path at Place des Arts. Now that I understand the scene better, maybe I will give it another go. It feels like it could be a real classic, the stark contrast of the tiny little triplexes with the massive super condos in the background.  

Tall taller tallest v2, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4059b)

Gamelin Gardens

 

Behind the Berri-UQAM metro, which you see behind the sign, there is a community space called Gamelin Gardens (Jardins in french). When I did the 68 stations of the Montreal Metro series, this was one of the stations that I could not get a decent painting of, due to front side being so... ugly? And I painted ugly stations, like Farbre Station, I made that look good. Finally though, I immersed myself in Jardins Gamelin, there was hip music playing over speakers, hot sun, the faint wafting of weed, what more could a painter want? Since I brought the pyrol red mix back on the palette (PR254 + PY97) it is coming in quite handy, in the panting it was used exclusively to paint out the block letters. To make the block letters, you have to draw seven boxes for each word before attempting the lettering, otherwise it will look wonky. I worked that trick out while painting the Farine Five Roses sign.

Jardins Gamelin sign, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4058a)

 

The courtyard was full of people sitting around, walking past, lounging about, shouting things, it was a real milieu. The trees seemed to be dancing. For simplicity and the sake of privacy I didn't try to paint in all the people. I had a lot of fun painting this one even if its not the best painting I have ever done.

Dancing Trees, watercolour 8 x 10" cold press, September 2024 (No. 3906b)

 

The office building must have been a 1970's era construction when they were in love with that caramel brown concrete. I used pure umber (PBr7), its equivalent to a green umber, or the colour of tea with milk. My brain felt like it was melting by now, I wonder if the weed was more than just a waft? At any rate, the umbrellas were red and the sky was blue. Sugar is sweet and so are you.

Beige building red umbrellas, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4059a)

A few more canal scenes along the way

Finally I saw some other watercolour painters along the Lachine canal, a group of elderly painters in camping chairs sitting in the shade of a tree next to the bike path. I know the spot because I painted exactly there last year, looking at this funny structure next to the bridge. As they daubed away, I stopped my bike a little further ahead, busted out the paints, paper and painted this scene once again. I had to do a good job because they were probably watching. I should have talked to them but what would I say? So I packed up and continued on the journey. 

Structure near bridge, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4057a)

 

Hey, don't read all my blogs at once, save some for later! Just kidding. This scene is looking east towards the downtown with the chimney, the Atwater clock tower and the canal with bike path. There were a few too many elements for the small paper, even at 6 x 7.5", but its an easy enough location to return to, that bridge connects to st Henri across the canal.

Chimney Atwater canal, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4044b)

Not near the canal at all, this scene is looking up a road into old Montreal. By omitting the cars and people it had a desolate, even depressing feel to it. But the glow on the bricks adds little warmth at least.

View into Old Montreal, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4057b)

 

Views from around the lock, Lachine canal

Water was cascading under the bridge next to the lock. Its the overflow water that prevents the lock from getting inundated. I've eyed this scene before and tried it a few times without success. Today I took another approach, looking over the fence I first established the outline of the bridge and walls, then painted the blue/grey shadow. After it dried a bit I used side brush technique and dabbing to get the multi-textured water and bricks. It took patience and time to build up the effect, and there was no room for error. You can see all the different light sources and how the shadow is formed over the water, and the cascade shows up nicely...it had three different colours due to reflected blue skylight. You can also see a shadow of me in the bottom right wearing my boonie hat, and my initials floating down the cascade!

Water cascading under bridge, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4056a)

 

Here is the same water as seen from the other side, looking down past a red tree. Yes, a red tree already, fall is coming despite the hot weather. This painting looked lousy until I saw it at home, then the visuals came together, it sort of reminds me of a group of seven painting.

Water ripples red tree, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4055b)

 

Standing up on the lock platform, which is accessible to bikes and pedestrians, I made a painting of the view down the canal looking east towards downtown. The sky was very smoggy, even though it was like noon, the horizon had a pale orange glow. Maybe this is what it looked like when the factories were still active.

Canal view from lock, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4056b)

 

 

 

Underpass tunnel with headlights

For an otherwise mundane scene, this painting turned out to be pretty dramatic. The funny thing about it, is that I don't recall actually painting the car with its headlights, I did a side drag with burnt umber/carbon black and left it as is. Either luck or subliminal, it looks just as if a car with headlights is emerging. The sky included a dark blue bar across the top which is a 19th century Japanese technique used by Hiroshige's wood block printers all the time. It adds a dramatic lighting effect to the sky, an ethereal glow. 

Underpass tunnel with headlights, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4054b)

Park in st Henri, old silos

 

The whole south part of st Henri near the canal is being rapidly built up with new condos as you see in the background. In the foreground is a new park they completed a year or so ago. It was dreadful for some reason my legs were itchy and I had mosquito bites from painting the canal yesterday evening, so I really had to grit my teeth through this one. Eventually it subsided and I could carry on with the painting.

New park new condos, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4053a)

 

For the next painting I stayed sitting in the same park bench, just looking to the right at the community flower garden. There was actually a black iron fence around the garden which I had planned to include, but seeing how nice the flowers and path turned out I just left it as is.

Community flower garden, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4053b)

 

Next to the old Canadian malt factory silos is a hipster restaurant, partly shown on the bottom left. The staffers were showing up as I painted, getting the restaurant ready for the hipsters, no doubt they were cutting the avocados and preparing the toast.

Restaurant next to old silos, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4055a)

I was having some trouble on this trip so had to just keep painting, like this scene of the pink house on the shadowed side of the malt factory. It is a massive scene with tons of detail, but here the idea was to just to capture a glance upwards. I did a super detailed version of this scene a few years ago, so whenever I see this view I think of that painting. Some scenes turned out great and then that's it, while other scenes, like basically the whole Lachine canal is always good for a painting or two.

Pink house shadow side, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4053b)

 

 

 

 

Geese on dock, 17 paintings in one day

Just the first painting today... geese on dock. As you can see there are geese on the dock. Most of them were either preening or swimming, so it is basically a goose beach. The weather is so nice that they are hanging out a bit longer in Montreal before migrating south. To paint this scene, I established the perspective on the dock and canal in the background then painted the outlines of the geese. Using raw sienna and burnt umber with carbon black, I created the typical beige black and white of the geese. It was really hot, the sun was beaming through the hazy atmosphere. And for the number of paintings today I actually set a personal record with seventeen paintings today! By coincidence, there are 16 geese depicted in the painting, and I went on to do 16 more paintings after this one.

Geese on dock, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, September 2024 (No. 4039a)