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!

Afternoon Traffic in Red and Gold

8 x 8 oil on cradled panel

Last minute show details are taking up too much time, so I decided to take some time and paint something fun and small. The reflected sun peaks through buildings and illuminates the afternoon traffic in downtown Toronto. The Streetcar and Co-op taxi made a nice arrangement of reds. I thought I should paint another taxi besides the Beck Taxi that dominates many of my paintings.

Santa's workshop, Hudson's Bay Store, Queen Street

16 x 20 oil on canvas

Every year the One Of A Kind Show in Toronto holds a contest for all artisans and artists to participate in. This year the contest theme was "Santa's Workshop". The entry must be in the artist's style and medium. When deciding what to do, I thought a Toronto scene featuring the spirit of giving would be something that I could work with.

The Hudson't Bay Store on Queen Street always has their windows dressed up for the holidays. I decided to feature these windows with Santa ringing the bell for the Salvation Army donation drive.

Sun After the Snowfall, Yonge Street

24 x 24 oil on board

This has been a difficult painting to work on, so I am going to leave it for a bit before I decide what might need changing/improving.

I don't know what it is about the clarity of the sun after a snowstorm. The air seems clear and the blues in the sky can be stunning. It probably has something to do with the reflections on the white snow. This image is from later in the afternoon as the sun sinks behind buildings in the downtown core of Toronto. Some sunlight makes its way through the buildings to highlight the snow in the foreground.

After the Snow, Queen and McCaul

24 x 24 oil on canvas

It actually snowed a bit today. Not as much as in this scene but lots of flakes coming down. Very unusual for this time of year. It still makes it easier to paint snow scenes.

Streetcars wait at a red light at Queen and McCaul while pedestrians cross the street. The triangle shapes of the Rex hotel are visible on the left.

A Night At the Opera, Queen Street, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on canvas

The colour scheme of this scene was challenging with the mix of greens and reds. As long as I kept the green cool, it seemed to work.

A sophisticated looking couple cross University Ave. going to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts to see Verdi's Falstaff.

I Dreamed in Pink and Purple, King Street, Toronto

8 x 10 oil on canvas

I've painted this corner before.The rotating light on the Standard Life Building changes the colours on everything around it. It is a perfect example of how light changes the colours of what we see and perceive. I captured this photo as the light was pink/purple.

The colours this young woman was wearing added a nice moody feel to the scene. She is crossing York Street during a misty rain.

 

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.

 

Riding The Red Rocket

8 x 10 oil on panel

I love trains. There is something romantic about them that survives from a different era. And in spite of the traffic jams and some discomfort, the Toronto Streetcar still maintains that special something we love about trains. Torontos' streetcars will be chaniging between 2014 and 2018. I don't like change, but I think I can adjust to liking them as well.

Passengers board the 504 on a stormy night. 
Thanks to Ben Roffelsen for the photo reference.

October Rain, King Street, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on board

I was happy to get some photos as the leaves are turning. We have had lots of rain so getting a rainy scene wasn't too difficult. The yellow leaves made the scene. 

The Beautiful Church on Simcoe Street is visible on the top right hand side.

First Snowfall, Toronto Streetcar

8 x 8 oil on board

Since I had "snow colours" on my palette, I decided to do another snow scene rather than scrape off the paint and waste it.  I called this "First Snowfall" because there is very little accumulation on the ground. I don't know if we are ever ready for the first snow fall. Many of us rush off to get out snow tires put on at the last moment, not to mention any names.

A young woman rushes to board a Toronto Streetcar in the early evening.

Gooderham Building in Snow

24 x 24 oil on board

I really enjoy how snow changes a scene. Everything seems softer and quieter. I say that I like to convey a mood or atmoshere rather than just painting a picture of a building. Snow is the perfect way to achieve this.

The Gooderham Building is Toronto's Flat Iron Building, nestled at the intersection of Front and Wellington. The photo reference had cars in the foreground, but I left them out to change the feeling when looking at the picture.

I thought this picture would be fun to paint. Actually, it was unbelieveably difficult with so many nuances of hue. I'm not sure if its finished, but I need to leave it for a bit and stare at it from time to time to see what it needs.

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.

8 x 8 oil on canvas

I think it is almost impossible to take a photo of downtown Toronto without finding a beck taxi or streetcar in the picture. (The same goes for New York City and their yellow taxis). The colours can be challenging, but in this picture, the turquiose of the taxi and the highlights of the Sunlife Centre at 150 King Street West harmonized nicely.

This is late afternoon in the financial district of Toronto.

Jazz at Massey Hall, Toronto

16 x 20 oil on canvas

Massey Hall is a wonderful music venue on Victoria Street in Toronto. Many famous people have played here, and the "Jazz at Massey Hall" comes from the Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie recording. Massey Hall was built in 1894 and has been hosting music events ever since.

I took this photo reference on a very rainy night, and liked how the sign illuminated the building and street in a glow of red. This view is from Shuter Street.

 

T.G.I.F, Queen and University

12 x 12 oil on canvas

On an early rainy Friday evening, a "suit" walks down Queen near University, heading home after a day of work in the Financial District of Toronto. The wonderful wrought iron fence of the The Law Society is visible on the right, illuminated by passing cars and the various lights of the city.

 

Afternoon Glare, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on canvas

We've been having some great summer weather even though it is autumn. We like to hang on to summer as long as possible. I added black to my palette again, using Ivory black, alizarin crimson, yellow ochre, cad yellow med, cad yellow light, ultramarine blue, cad red. 

Thanks to John Tavares for the photo reference.