La Ronde is Closed

Haven't been giving good blog lately. For those who have been following, apologies. Busy, of course, distracted, and strange computer problems are to blame. Not my lack of motivation, not that at all. Still trying to figure out some issues with regards to posting images here. If I really applied myself, I could work it out.



It's autumn in Montreal, and the colours are turning gorgeous. You can't see that in this picture of La Ronde (should go back to watercolours). But here I like the multiple layers the scene afforded. Starting with the framing of the dark trees in the foreground, and the pattern of the railing. Beyond that are train cars, on a track just beyind the railing (trains only lightly indicated), then the river, which is hard to see at all in this picture. Then the opposite shore of St. Helen's island, upon which La Ronde rests, if I've got my geography right.

The greenery here was getting more depth and variety, thanks to the leaves changing. You can't see much of that. But you can see the ferris wheel rising above it all, ghostly and white, but with black gondolas (seats?) and rim.

Making a good drawing, I'm finding, is a matter of contrasts. Too many of my sketches get overworked, so they devolve into this grey gas of cross-hatching. Well, practice is what makes it better. I do have a watercolour drawing of this subject, somewhere in my sketchbooks, of which I have a lot. I can see from the older ones that my drawing skills are always getting better over the years, which is heartening. However, I don't really want to show off those old drawings, even though they are part of the process.