Jazz Bistro, Victoria Street, Toronto

36 x 48 oil on canvas

  As I mentioned in a  previous post, Petroff Gallery, using the Beaches Jazz festival as inspiration, is putting together an exhibition of works inspired by or representative of jazz music. I chose one of the two studies I did of The Jazz Bistro and painted it on a much larger scale. A lot of the painting was a study in greys and deciding which ones wouldn't contrast with the yellows, reds, and greens. it was a lot more difficult than I thought and the problem solving revolved around maintaining proper colour temperature. 

The Jazz Bistro and Senator Restaurant are located in some great older buildings on Victoria Street in Toronto. They really hold their own against the monolithic Rogers Building next door. I can't believe how much the Toronto streetscape changes from year to year. I hate to see the old buildings come down and I hope these two will hang around for a long time to come.

Crossing Queen at St. Michaels

12 x 12 oil on canvas

It always seems easier to paint rain as it pounds on the skylight in my studio. Its easier to "feel" the atmosphere. This scene was quite muted and as I was painting, I decided to incorporate a little more  palette knife work to add some interest and blend the colours of the street to show wetness.

I imagine this woman has left work at the "Urban Angel" after spending a day helping those in need. The streetcar heads down Queen Street.