Snow in Chinatown, Dundas Street

24 x 24 oil on canvas

This picture is pretty much the weather we had yesterday with blowing snow and not so great driving conditions. Anyone who lives in an area that gets snow, knows that snow doesn't stay white for long. It turns into a brown salty slushy mess. 

This scene is in Toronto's Chinatown, along Dundas Street.

Toronto Financial District, Summer

32 x 40 oil on canvas

This painting proved to be very dificult, mostly due to working out the temperature and colours of the sidewalk and road. I also kept thinking that there should have been more dark value to balance it out. 

This scene is from Bay Street in the Financial District of Toronto, the Deloitte Building on the left.

 

Urban Forest in Winter, Queen Street

24 x 30 oil on board

I love trees and I especially love urban trees and how they affect our surroundings. Trees are difficult subjects to paint when trying to portray the "big picture" as opposed to painting  a picture of a tree. Almost all of the detail is lost and blurred.

This was very difficult to paint, but I loved the small forest of trees at the corner of Queen and University where the beautiful wrought iron fence passes in front of the Law Society Building. It was pretty much a snowstorm when I took this reference photo which created a subtle light everywhere.

I never know when to stop, so decided to leave it alone for a bit.

Midday Sun, Bay and Richmond, Toronto

24 x 24 oil on board

Another painting in my foray into sunny scenes. I am not leaving the rain and snow behind...I love weather events, but I was in the mood for a change. Maybe it's the -18 C (about 0 F) weather were having. I tried a little different composition, including the yellow crosswalk.

This scene is at the corner of Bay Street and Richmond.

Early Morning Traffic, University Avenue

20 x 24 oil on canvas

I usually like to paint images that reflect the present mood of the day..a typical January cold snowy atmosphere. For my upcoming show at the Artist Project I want to include some sunny city scenes in the Financial District of Toronto and so I will be exploring a new colour palette and doing some studies, trying to create the early morning or late afternoon atmosphere in a busy city.

For my first attempt, I chose a difficult subject with the darkness dominating the foreground. And the other usual complex issues of what details to add and what to leave out. I will have to live with it for awhile and see if I like the result.

 

Heading Home, Cold Toronto Evening

11 x 14 oil on canvas

When my Christmas art show  ends in early December, I think that I will get back into the studio right away and get back to work. But then family and Seasonal celebrations happen, and shopping happens, and renovations happen, and then of course I got the worst cold i"ve had in a long time.So now, a month later its time to dive in and get some painting done!

We are having some very cold weather, going to minus 18 C tonight. When it gets cold, the steam from grates escapes into the street, sometimes completely limiting visibility for a short time. 

A young woman with some great boots waits at a transit stop on a cold Toronto evening.
Thanks Chris Lally, Barbara Muir and Karen Werner for your comments on my previous post.

Thanks to Ben Roffelsen for the photo reference.

New Years Goal:Find Coffee

8x8 oil on canvas

Happy New Year and all the best for 2015!