Back yards in Montreal have always intrigued me even when I first encountered them in 1958 while living on University near Prince Arthur. Walking to and from work at Northern Electric (recently Nortel) on La Gauchetière provided unique visual experiences in terms of building designs, womens’ fashions, and the hustle and bustle of Montreal life.

In the Plateau area, I encountered back alleys, garbage storage, clothes lines, private gardens and spaces, local bagels and hot smoked meat sandwiches. I could feel and share the living experience of my neighbouring Montrealers. I felt part of the surroundings.

In later years, I would occasionally cycle the alleyways and photograph eye catching scenes that reminded me of the feelings and memories of past encounters. A number of these photos subsequently became the inspiration for a series of oil paintings.

My early work was more stylistic and interpretive, focusing on colour, roof lines, and garbage cans from the perspective of back alleys. Snow was usually present as it provided a powerful contrast of the golden glows in sunlight and the purple/blue lights in shadows.

The set of 10 paintings recently completed for, “Affaire de famille” the Galerie le 1040 show in Montreal from June 4 to 16, 2013 are more representational as they depict scenes in the neighbourhood of the Galerie.  View the set of paintings here.

“Le linge, Montréal”, one of the 10, captures for me the everyday life one encounters in back yards…a lonely clothes line, packed garbage pails, fence line flowers, trees and multi- level living in red brick buildings. I love the ambience and the feelings this painting creates in me. Each time I look at “Le ligne, Montréal”, memories of my time in Montréal return.

“Le linge, Montréal”
Oil Painting, 24″ x 30″
Catalogue #1697

A group of about 30 plein air artists paint in the Charlevoix area about once every 2-3 years and stay upriver at Les Éboulements, L’Auberge de nos aïeux. We find painting sites within a radius of 30 km from the Auberge.

Charlevoix is particularly attractive as the region has a variety of great topographic features… woodlands, agricultural lands, towns, hills, rivers and lakes. The hills are much like the Gatineau but higher and steeper with many 10 to 15% grades. I do not know how the inhabitants get around in the winter. The region is really a high plateau with hills where the snow lasts a month longer than in Quebec City.

Les Éboulements is located in the centre of the Charlevoix crater. Mount Éboulements (Mont des Éboulements), in the eastern part of the municipality, is considered the central rebound of the earth’s crust following moments after the meteor impact some 350 million years ago.

In February 1663, a strong earthquake shook the Charlevoix region and triggered a large landslide down the slopes that characterize the hills of the area, to the Saint Lawrence coast. Thereafter the area was known as les Éboulements (French for “the landslides”).

On October 13, 1997, a bus travelling down the steep road to Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive failed to slow down and negotiate a very sharp turn, crashed through the barriers and plunged over 10 meters into a ravine. This accident killed 44 persons, making it the deadliest road accident in Canadian history.

Port-au Persil is a very small community on the St Lawrence River north of Quebec City between Malbaie and St-Siméon. There is a wharf about 100m long that juts out into the St Lawrence. From there looking east, south and west are great views for paintings – large hills, town homes, barns, a church, rocks, shoreline, surf and woodlands.

The painting is a view from the wharf looking upriver. A small creek flowed from above into the small bay which was subject to the tide infilling and emptying. There were about five of us painting on the wharf at the time. The location was hugely inspiring, wind gusting and glorious sun. All who painted there thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I was particularly pleased with the several paintings that resulted from the en plein air expeditions to Point-au-Persil.