Spire and dome
Posted: April 30, 2015 Filed under: Uncategorized 14 CommentsAlthough spring is definitely here, the early mornings are a little cool and I’m still sketching in my car. That means that the views I have when I go into Old Montreal are just the tops of buildings. But what buildings they are. Each one an important piece of Montreal history. The green spire is atop one of the oldest churches in the city — Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours. Every port city has a sailor’s church, and this one is ours. It’s not as grand as nearby Notre Dame Basilica with it’s soaring gothic interior. It’s more of a quiet beauty that merits some investigation to discover hidden treasures like the carved replicas of ships that hang from the vault of the chapel or the Marguerite Bourgeoys museum. Move a block away and you see the silver dome of Marché Bonsecours. Now the building is filled with small shops selling “Made in Quebec” fashions but at one time it was an actual public market, an exhibition hall and even our city hall. There are treasures to draw on every street in Old Montreal and I look forward to getting out there with my easel this summer.
I’ve been to Montreal once and loved that chapel with the hanging ships! Your daily paintings really inspire me to keep trying as a beginner with watercolor. Thank you.
Thanks for writing Sue. Yes, that church is really beautiful, both inside and out. I’m glad to hear that you are going to try watercolour. Good luck!
I lkie this one. But, I would have used more then the straight verticle or horizontal lines for shading. I use the same process for my ink shading. The difference is I tend to draw my lines to follow the shape of the object drawn. It does mean a bit more twisting around of my sketchbook , but the result are great
Thanks for writing. I think drawing is like handwriting. We each make our own kind of marks. I don’t think there’s a right or a wrong way to draw the lines of a given subject but now you have made me curious about your work. Do you post it anywhere? Website? Blog? Flickr? I would love to see your line work.
Hi Shari. As a fairly new artist it would be interesting to see a photo of the equipment you take when you paint en plein air. I have never really got to grips with what to take! Thanks….Lin
HI Lin, I will try to do a post about this one of these days. I usually do it once every summer since I am always changing what I use.
You are terrific.
You like all the Montreal sketches Monique. And it is almost time for sketching in the markets!
Makes me remember sitting on a step opposite and sketching the Marché dome myself …. albeit not quite this well!
You can’t beat sketching in Old Montreal… And if I remember you did a great job with your Montreal sketches.
Sensitively and beautifully rendered.
Thanks my friend.
Such a striking composition. It is so strong. Each of these buildings alone would have been great, but your composition also tells us about how narrow and jumbled the streets are in an old city. Thanks for all your wonderful art. Everyday!
Best
Jess
Beautiful composition. The plunging negative shape of the sky vs. the soaring tops of the buildings creates a wonderful tension which is then calmed by the horizontal (beautifully rendered) clouds. I love the “pulling away” effect of the buildings’ angled positioning. By now you must know that I admire all of your work but am still partial to your pen and ink with watercolor images. Your artistry and prodigious output continue to amaze me.