Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Night Lights and Wet Snow on Wellington Street

12 x 12 oil on canvas
 I love the way the lights at night reflect off of the surrounding surfaces. The simple parking sign at the TD Centre created intense red shadows and the yellow car and street lights added to the mix. When I took this reference photo, it was a messy wet January snow. The large concrete wall along the TD centre added to the composition.
The Toronto Club is visible on the left, an historical building from the 1880's. 

Monday, August 17, 2015

Gooderham, Flatiron Building in Rain

24 x 24 oil on panel
The Gooderham Building, also known as the Flatiron Building, is a very interesting and historical building.It is also extremely difficult to paint. It stands out in front of the new high rises, an imposing red brick building in front of the soft blues of the reflected glass.
I thought I would give it a try again...I think I need to blur the receding sides a bit more to accentuate the "triangular" shape of the building.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

March Sun, Spadina Ave, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on panel
After a snowfall, the sun can be brilliant.  On this day, the winter sun came out in full force, illuminating the buildings and wet streets. This scene is from Toronto's Chinatown, on Spadina Ave.
This painting will be available at The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition Sept. 18, 19, 20.

Monday, August 10, 2015

Out of The Mist, King and Simcoe, Toronto

16 x 20 oil on canvas
Night time scenes are difficult. The only colours are from reflected light, and sometimes they turn the surrounding surfaces into garrishly ghostly colours, resulting for new neon and led lighting. The new greens of the stop lights are also a much more minty green than before. nonetheless, I keep working at it.
I really enjoy this corner in front of St Andrews Presbyterian Church at King and Simcoe. The steam from the subway grates can almost be blinding on a cold evening. I have taken several shots here, but this reference photo is from Ben Roffelsen.

 

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Rain, East 20th Street, New York

16 x 20 oil on canvas
I thought I'd change things a bit, and do a scene of New York City. It was a change, adjusting to the yellows of the taxis, but I found them a little easier to incorporate into a scene than Toronto's turqoise and orange Beck taxi.
Thanks to Jacob Santiago for the photo reference for this painting. Check out his Instagram account Here.