Bay Street Blues

14 x 14 oil on canvas paper

I've mentioned this before, but doing studies on paper allows me to get the information down quickly and helps me stay "loose" and less contrived. I think it has something to do with the fact that its only "paper" and therefore just a study. That said, I always like the way they turn out and wish I would have been so spontaneous on a canvas or board. I'll get there..sometime.... .

I'm looking forward to trying this on a larger scale.

Suits at Bay and Wellington

12 x 12 oil on canvas

Lunch time at Bay and Wellington on a warm spring day. Another view of Toronto's financial district.

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.

 

Heading Back to work, Bay Street

12 x 12 oil on panel

I had a feeling this one would be tough with the opposing colours on either side of the street. The road, middle sidewalk, and right sidewalk were all different colours. I was tempted to add some cooler blue temperature to the pillars on the left, but I didn't want to change their colour too much. I let my" artist" side dominate decisions that should have been made by my "design" side. We can't help it. sometimes we "need" to add that light standard even though we know it messes with the design of a painting.

As Mike Svob says in his book, "Let your artist/design side boss your artist/drawing side around. In other words, try to make decisions that work for the picture/painting. 

I think parts of the painting work really well, others may need some adjusting.

A "suit" heads back to work on Bay Street in the financial district of Toronto.

 

Enjoying the Scenery

8 x 8 oil on canvas

I was quite amused by this photo. It was obviously lunch or break time, but enjoying the scenery was not part of the plan. Having seen so many suit styles, its interesting to see the style so "retro". I particularly liked the pointed shoes.

Two young men walk down Bay Street on a sunny afternoon in Toronto.

Night Rain at King and York

12 x 12 oil on canvas

There are some street corners that always put on a show. This corner of King Street West at York changes colour as the sign on the Standard Life Building turns. I have several photos featuring different colour patterns. It was a challenging scene to paint.

People head home from work on a rainy night in the Financial District.

Winter Blues, Financial District, Toronto

8 x 10 oil on panel

I have some shows coming up and I want to work on some studies for larger paintings. I find that it really helps to do a smaller painting when there will be so much time, paint, and energy to go into the finished product.

I took this scene last January in the early evening when it was minus 20 celcius. The air was clear and the sky very blue. The blue reflected on many of the surfaces. In spite of the cold, there was a lot of interesting light and reflections.