Suits Head Home, York Street

36 x 36 oil on canvas

I want to start doing some paintings on a larger scale.They are more difficult, time wise and of course take more paint. They aren't as fun as smaller ones...yet. They do have more impact and drama on a large wall.

This scene features "suits" ..men and woman in the financial district heading home on a cold Toronto evening. It is getting dark here in southern Ontario at five o'clock so it is dark when we go to work, and dark heading home.

Toronto Skyline Reflected

 

24 x 24 oil on canvas

Often if a painting won't photograph well, its because there is something wrong with the painting. With this one, I knew I had the colour temperature and values wrong. Richard Schmid says in his book Alla Prima that if a colour looks like "mud', its not the colour that is muddy, it is the wrong temperature against the other colours on the painting. I struggled with this picture, first  tightening up too much (all those twinkly lights don't show the same intensity from far away). And I had the values and temperature wrong. (Not much right going on) I finally changed my photo reference to black and white and painted from that. I find it helps to do this in order to get a fresh look at values.

I also find that if I take a painting too seriously, and want it to look a certain way rather than letting it find its way as I paint, I will find ways to be unsuccessful.

I'm still not sure about this one...I go between sort of liking it and wanting to repaint it.
Thanks to John Tavares for the photo reference.

Silhouette, Night Rain on King

30 x 30 Oil on Canvas

This young woman is silhouetted against the traffic and streetlights on a rainy night on King Street West.

Thanks to Ben Roffelsen for this photo reference.

The Urban Angel

18x18 oil on canvas

I take lots of photos and sometimes I am surprised by what I find when I upload them to my computer.This was a very cold day with the sun going down in late afternoon. The sign from St. Michaels hospital was dominant in the distance. I wasn't sure how I would paint the sign and have it be part of the scene as a whole. Winter light is so different from summer light. It seems to have a very "thin" subtle quality without a lot of warm colour. I will leave it for a few days and decide if it is done.

This scene is from Queen Street. St. Michaels is affectionately known as Toronto's urban angel.

Cold Toronto Night

8x8 oil on canvas

Often I like to do a smaller study before taking on a large canvas. There were a lot of things I liked about this picture..the steam, the reflections and the colour combination. A small study helps in the process, but painting large is the only way to find out how it will look on a large scale.

Thanks to John Tavares for the photo reference.

Late Night Rain on Yonge

24 x 24 oil on board

Night time in the city is a melalange of colours and shapes, with very little definition, especially when it rains. Yonge Street is full of bill boards, store signs, and lights everywhere. Without many defining shapes, the picture becomes more abstract and of course creates a whole new set of problems to solve...although it always comes down to composition, edges, and value no matter what subject is painted.

Holiday Shoppers on Yonge

24 x 24 oil on canvas

Its a little early for this theme, but I wanted to try a picture for the One Of A Kind Show competition called "Christmas across Canada" I thought there is nothing more Canadian that trudging through the slush and snow to finish that last minute shopping before the holidays. 

This was not an easy picture to do. The subtleties of colour were difficult to maintain and its important to keep in mind that snow reflects all of the colours around it.

I'm still thinking about this one...I will need to look at it for awhile and see if I am happy with it. 
Thanks to John Tavares for the photo reference.

Snowy Saturday in Chinatown

12 x 12 oil on board

I took this photo last January and  it was a very blustery blizzardy day, but yet Chinatown on Spadina was in full swing. I loved the fact that the umbrellas were out, covered in new snow. Salt on the sidewalks melts the snow, creating soft reflections.

Rain at the Go Station, Toronto

12 x12 oil on canvas

I decided to use a palette knife a bit more in this painting, looking for that really wet feeling. It definitely takes some practise to learn to use it well, but I enjoyed it with this one. I used a soft brush to smooth out the areas I didn't like. I also used some higher chroma paint colors than I normally do in a rainy scene.

Saturday shoppers head to the Go Station on Front Street on a rainy day in Toronto.

After the Snow, John and Queen

12 x 12 oil on board

I really liked the composition of this one, but wasn't sure how to approach the painting. The colours are very subdued, there is no sunshine or reflected surfaces. I decided to keep it very simple and subtle, even omitting traffic lights and street poles. I will have to live with this one for awhile before I decide if it is done.

This double streetcar heads up Queen Street past Much Music. The Chapters sign is visible down John Street.

Reflected Light, Wellington Street

12 x 12 oil on canvas

When I'm getting ready for a show, it takes a while to build the momentum required to work all day, everyday (well maybe not the whole weekend). When it happens, its hard work, but the routine of working becomes enjoyable. Its being totally immersed in something that is difficult, challenging, sometimes rewarding, and often enjoyable. I like being in this place. I have a saying that works for me, but not every artist. I am either working, or I'm not. I either come into the studio and work, or I get sidetracked. I have no in between. Some people can work that way. They can take some time for coffee and shopping and get back in. If I escape, I get into another world where painting doesn't happen. I often wonder how other artists work. Watching shows about Picasso, one would assume that he drank and partyed all day, and produced at night. Hard to believe.
My son sometimes calls me a Troll (term of endearment) and says that I must get away from my studio cave. I'm happy here with my dog at my side, or under my feet.Time to get back at it.
This scene features reflected light from glass high rise towers and a streetcar and beck taxi in shadow.

City Lights and Steam, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on canvas

Steam escapes from sidewalk grates on a cold evening near University in Toronto. The sign on the Beck taxi stands out against the line of streetcars.

Toronto Skyline at Night

12 x 12 oil on canvas

I wasn't sure how to tackle this one. I blocked in the larger shapes and then added the touches of light, trying not to make them too dominant. Still more learning to do. I would like to try this with a different colour palette.

Thanks to John Tavares for the photo reference.

Crisp evening shopping, Simcoe and King Streets

12 x 12 oil on canvas

Steam rises from grates on this cold crisp evening of shopping on Simcoe and King Streets in Toronto.

Thanks to Ben Roffelsen for the use of this photo reference.

Umbrellas on King Street, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on canvas

Pedestrians cross in front of a Streetcar, while others wait to board on this rainy day at the corner of King and Bay Streets in Toronto Ontario.

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

St. Lawrence Market

12 x 12 Oil on canvas

 I thought I would revisit this scene using a different colour palette. This scene is from Front Street in front of the St. Lawrence Market. The gorgeous flower arrangements dominate the scene and a Beck Taxi waits out front. The Gooderham Building, also known as the Flatiron building is visible in the background.

Verticals on Bay Street, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on board

There is no rhyme or reason for the way the light falls in the city. With so many glass buildings creating reflections on other buildings, light and shadow pop up anywhere. This scene was around five o'clock, just in time for rush hour. A beam of light contrasts with the verticals of the tall buildings as it cuts across Bay Street in the financial district of Toronto. The old City Hall clock tower is visible at the end of the street.

Royal Alexandra Theatre, King Street

8x10 oil on board

People often ask me to do streetcar scenes, so I often include them in paintings. Although I do point out that it is almost impossible to take pictures on some Toronto streets without finding a Streetcar or Beck Taxi lurking somewhere in the photograph. I do enjoy the colours, the bright reds adding a nice touch to a grey day or night scene.

 This scene features the Royal Alexandra Theatre on King Street West.

Thanks to Ben Roffelsen for the photo reference.

Umbrellas on Dundas Street, Toronto

12 x 12 oil on board

Back to a rainy day scene with this picture of colourful umbrellas on Dundas and University in Toronto. I'm adding a few more colours for this rainy scene, but still keeping it very muted and atmospheric.

For this scene I used a very popular palette of Ultramarine blue, alizarin, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow dark and light, cadmium red, titanium white.

Pedestrians wait to cross the street or head to the subway station at Dundas and University in Toronto during a down pour.

Queen and Spadina, Afternoon Sun

12 x 12 oil on board

I'm trying to work out some "sunny day" colours that are somewhat true to the scene as well as maintaining harmony. From the pevious post, I decided to do a 12 x 12 rather than going larger. 

This scene features a Toronto Streetcar, the colours glowing in the afternoon sun against the shadows created by buildings. This scene is from Queen and Spadina.