Monday, January 23, 2017

Hey Lucy Cafe, King Street, Toronto

 
24 x 24 oil on canvas
This is the larger version of the 6x6 from a recent post. I tightened up a bit but I'm still happy with the result. I still love that sign and the cow. So unique!
I will be showing this painting at the Artist Project, Feb 23 in Toronto.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Winter, Queen and University

30 x 30 Oil on Canvas
This is a typical slushy wet winter day in southern Ontario. After a snowfall, the streets are cleared and salted resulting in a wet slushy mix on sidewalks and streets. This scene features the fence at Osgoode Hall on University Avenue in Toronto.

Monday, January 2, 2017

Hey Lucy, King Street, Toronto

6x6 oil on paper
The colours of evening or night are always difficult to portray. What colour is night? Night is all about reflected surfaces. It is the surrounding lights and nothing maintains its daylight colour. I have had a difficult time with some sections of King Street. The mixture of greens and reds and yellows can make for a mud colour, so its important to avoid too much mixing. The red signage resulted in pink snow which worked well with the cool green streetlights. I am doing small studies almost all the time now before starting a larger version.. I have wiped so many paintings where the colour has just been WRONG! Its much easier to make mistakes on a small study.
Evening strollers walk past the Hey Lucy Restaurant on King Street. Part of the "cow" on the building is visible top right.