Stuck in traffic
Posted: February 11, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized 31 CommentsThere’s so much traffic in Montreal these days, and it won’t get much better for years as work crews tear down and rebuild a major thoroughfare into downtown. There are plenty of detours, all of them congested, and they change weekly so you never know where you will end up. Ok, that’s the end of my complaining about traffic.
This was a scene I saw while stuck in one of those lineups a few days ago. I snapped a quick photo and painted it today because freezing rain is falling and I can’t paint outside. Now that I think about it, if the resident of this house steps out today, there is a good chance they will hit a patch of ice and slide right down those stairs. 
I used to live in Montreal and I loved the city. You have captured exactly what I miss. I love this painting and I wish I was still living there traffic and all.
Hi Sue, Yes, this is such a typical Montreal winter scene that I’ve been wanting to paint for a long time. I live in the suburbs so don’t have to suffer through the traffic every day, but it does make me think twice about going into downtown. Thanks for writing!
Ouch…I hope the homeowners didn’t have to go out. Great composition and values. Makes me want to stay indoors.
And I hope they shovelled before the icy rain fell!
Love this!
Thanks Carol!
This painting evokes strong memories of how difficult Montreal winters could be! Even though it is on average much colder in Winnipeg than Montreal, we get used to relentless “dry” cold without slush.
Hi Jean. Someone I know who grew up in Winnipeg told he would wear mukluks with no rubber soles all winter. I couldn’t believe it because we have so much slush here. In fact, there was lots of slush on the road when I took my reference photo but I left it out and kept only the clean snow in.
Fantastic! I absolutely love your work!
Many thanks Sean!
Shari, You are beyond compare! My son and daughter in law lived in Montreal the years they danced with Le Grande Ballet de Montreal. You have perfectly captured the winter moment with those stairs.- a dancers worst nightmare!
This certainly would be the worst nightmare for dancers! What were they thinking when they designed houses with stairs on the outside in a climate like this??
I don’t know but most of the houses have them and sometimes they are very long and steep. John and Callye survived almost a decade of living in town to retire in good shape.
Hello Shari. What combination of colors do you use to create your stone work? Thank you.
HI Belinda. Good question. Well, the stone was warmish so I started with Raw Sienna. To that I added some burnt sienna, cerulean blue, a bit of Cadmium Red and maybe some Prussian Blue. But it is mainly Raw Sienna for that warmth.
This is my City allright ! Shari, I love so much your sketches, they have a special softness !
Thanks Christiane!
I love your winter scenes. You make the snow pop!
Thanks Connie!
Sweet compositions and fantastic color. I’m so glad this popped up in my Flipboard feed.
Cheers,
~Law Blank
Thanks so much Law. Yes, not quite sure how my posts end up on Flipboard but I find it pretty cool!
I really get the feel of the cold, and the snow. I always connect this with living in ND.(as I have written Grand Forks is only an hour from the Canadian border). But it can be cold and icy here. I love this painting.
Thanks Judy. It’s a good winter for snow painting.
Great sketch, and so evocative! Wherever I have lived in Montreal, I’ve always been the only one to clean the steps completely. Those ruts are lethal!
They sure are lethal Gina. Nice to hear from you, as always.
Your sketches are such an inspiration and make me want to get out my sketchbook which has been languishing in my purse. However, the scenes you have been sketching tell me you need another trip to Florida
Susan, I probably do need another trip to the sun. Luckily I’ll be teaching in South Carolina in March!
At least it was a beautiful sunny day. Great sketch. You really captured the warmth of the stone. I very distinct Montreal scene indeed.
And thank you for driving so I could be the passenger and take the photo.
Lovely …. and maybe the step by step painting you been promising us!
Very, very good one Tony. Wish I had thought of that. It would have made a good title for my post. Drats.