Lots of green
Posted: June 21, 2021 Filed under: Uncategorized 38 CommentsI have a great memory of this little café/kiosk in Carré St. Louis because the owner of the place offered shelter to my group during a sudden summer downpour when I was teaching an urban sketching workshop there a few years ago. Last summer the place seemed to be closed due to the pandemic (or at least it was every time I walked by), but this year it’s hopping again. What a joy it is to see people milling about, enjoying coffee and listening to live music when jazz trios perform there.
Yesterday morning the light was clear and the park was filled with dappled shade. I had time to do a quick sketch on site, but not to complete it, so when I got home I repainted it at a larger size (1/4 sheet) while the colours were still in my head. I think I may have overdone the brightness a little bit, but that was what I saw. Lots and lots of green.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
It’s fabulous
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Thanks Irene!
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Magic!
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Thanks Chris!
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You bring back such good memories
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It is such a beautiful spot. I think it’s the nicest park in Montreal besides our famous Mount Royal Park.
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Lovely Shari – especially the shadow work on the kiosk. I love the Carre St. Louis – so reminiscent of Montreal’s special “joie de vivre.” Years ago, there used to be a fantastic Italian grocery store up the street – wonder if it’s still there!
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Hi Mary! Hmm, I am trying to think of what that grocery store is. We have so many great Italian grocery stores but many of them are in Little Italy. If you remember the name, let me know.
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Love the orange umbrellas- they would be calling to me to be painted. Glad you’re having fun out and about!
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I sure am Denise. Making up for lost time for sure!
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I love the green bi have a difficult time mixing greens that I really like!
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Thanks Gretta. Greens can be difficult, I agree. I try to stick to mixing them from yellow and blue, but I admit, sometimes I grab some tube green too.
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It’s a painting lesson at least for me
You captured the light and energy beautifully
Thanks
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Thanks so much Jere!
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Gorgeous! The greens are perfect. The people and umbrellas amid the trees and kiosk make for such a PERFECT composition. Nice work.
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Thank you Bernadette!
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Oh, Shari – it is so pretty!! I’ve been there before and remember it. Also, it reminds me of a little kiosk cafe in NYC, where my sketchers group has sketched. I love this painting!
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Thanks Marilyn. Actually painting in Carre St. Louis is a bit like painting in Bryant Park. It has the same kind of “green space in the middle of the city” energy!
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Beautiful! It’s a welcoming scene and one you just want to enter. I WISH I could see you paint this in one afternoon.
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Thanks De!
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Perfect Shari! Looks like a wonderful summer day with the public finally out and about again!!
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It really was like that Linda! Just a perfect Sunday morning.
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nothing overdone here! the picture is wellness for the soul! it made me breath deeply, with the feeling: what a lovely summer day”.
simply great!
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Wow, thank you. What a beautiful comment to read.
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Love the variety of greens and pops of orange. My favourite kind of place…in Montreal?
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Yes, this is in Montreal! Thanks Peri!
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I really like the light and shadows, makes me want to be there enjoying the local color. Thanks for sharing. Can you explain how you approached painting the lights and shadows?
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Hi Susie, I always think of shadows as shapes. So I approach them as shapes that move over forms. You will see an example of that on the left side of the building. There is a shadow that comes from the ground and then moves up the structure.
As for the grass, I think of it as grass in sun and grass in shade, and each shape has a specific colour. Does that make sense?
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This brings back fond memories, Shari. Le Carré St. Louis is such a wonderful spot to just sit and observe and realize how lucky you are to be sitting in the heart of Montréal while surrounded by green! You have captured that magic so masterfully.
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Thanks so much. Would you mind telling me what your name is? I only see deedster56 and it always feels awkward to me if I don’t respond with a proper thank you with your name in it. If you don’t mind of course. Some people prefer to remain anonymous, and that is just fine too.
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Another gorgeous painting. I have so much trouble painting larger than my sketchbooks. Present one is 9X6 and I don’t often fill the whole page. Another class I would love would be how to approach this.
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Thanks Judy. If you want to start painting larger, just increase the paper size a bit at a time. Eventually, if you add an inch or two and move up from there, you will be at a quarter sheet in no time!
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Oh I remember that downpour well and the kindness of the owner to give us all shelter. Your painting is superb, nothing new there, your work is always sensational !!! John
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It was somewhat of a surprise, wasn’t it. But they were so nice to us. I just had another look at the mural that you drew. Someone painted over a section of it with graffiti : (
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I love the supersaturation in this shady green bower,
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Thanks so much!!
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Looks like a scene from Paris or something. Beautiful Cafe and Park.
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Lovely sketch of this. Glad they reopened after the pandemic. So many places around haven’t.
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