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.

Dundas Square, Night Rain

12x12 oil on canvas

As I've mentioned before, I like to do smaller images before I decide to do it on a larger scale. The investment in time and materials makes it worthwhile. I like the strong lines on this one, so may do it on a 36x36 size.

This scene is looking towards Dundas Square at Dundas and Yonge.

Chinatown Rain, Dundas St. West, Toronto

24 x 30 Oil on board

I knew this scene would be challenging. There are too many colors (for me) The composition has the Streetcar heading out of the picture, and deciding on the proper light source temperature was almost impossible. I finally realized that with all the warm colors of the buildings, the light source had to be somewhat cool. I originally had the pedestrian in the foreground with a dark coat, but as soon as I changed it to white it seemed to bring the weak composition together.

This painting will be available at theToronto One Of A Kind Show in November.

Curry's Artists' Materials, Dundas St W. Toronto

24x24 Oil on Board

I went back to my limited palette with this painting and used board instead of canvas. Maybe I will never find a definitive palette or surface preference and will always be experimenting with each new subject.

Curry's Art Stores sell supplies in several Canadian cities and have been selling to artists for many years. This Currys is on Dundas Street West, just down the street from the Art Gallery of Ontario and The Ontario College of Art and Design.

Lucky Moose Food Mart, Dundas Street Toronto

24x24 oil on canvas

There were so many exciting things in this image: umbrellas, great reflections, and the lone figure walking down the street. I decided to switch to a more traditional palette and didn't use any black (which I often include). I used ultramarine blue, permanent alizarin, transparent red iron oxide, viridian, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow medium, titanium white.