Sarah's Painting Journal » canal

Bridged

Sarah Lynch — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:31:10 +0000

3.5"X5.5" Pen & Graphitint in Moleskine

I got "bridged" on the way home from work the other day. This always seems to be the busiest time of year on the canal, the lakers all hurrying to reach their destinations before the ice closes the St. Lawrence Seaway for the season.

Bridged Again

Sarah Lynch — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:27:07 +0000

5.5"X7" Pen & Ink in Moleskine

As I am not finding time to paint I am determined to try to sketch more regularly. So, in an attempt to find some inspiration, I bought some new drawing pens last weekend: Faber-Castell sepia and a Copic sepia sketch pen.

I got caught again this morning. Double-bridged this time. The Carlton Street bridge is right next to Lock 2, and sometimes there is a boat waiting to enter the lock as another leaves it. When this happens they leave the bridge up until the two boats have changed places. They move very slowly, especially the one going into the lock.

Grand Union Canal

Sarah Lynch — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 01:09:45 +0000

7"X5" Acrylic on board

Anyone who has been following this blog may have noticed that I haven't posted anything for a couple of months.

Believing as I do in truth in advertising, I stopped calling this a "daily painting blog" some time ago, but I really did mean to continue with a "two or three times a week blog". I have been doing some sketching, and I am working on a linocut, but generally I am just uninspired, I really need to move in a new direction.

However, I did shoot a few pictures during my brief visit to London last month and I hope to take some paintings from them over the next couple of weeks, before I lose the mood.

The Grand Union Canal connects London and Birmingham. This section is somewhere in North Kensington, lots of houseboats along here, all apparently inhabited and in running order. It might be an interesting way to live in the heart of the city but I wonder what it is like in the winter. My sister lived in one about 40 years ago, I seem to remember that it was pretty damp.

The Birds

Sarah Lynch — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:03:25 +0000

7"X5" Oil on board As the lakers pass through the canal they are followed by a flock of hungry gulls. The trees are at that point where they look just as if they have had a dry brush of yellow green dragged across them, only a few more days and they will be in full leaf. I switched back to oils for this one. No particular reason really, just wanted a change. It would probably have been easier with acrylics as there was no blending required to speak of, and quite a lot of light over dark and dark over light. It might be a good idea to use a little more logic in my decision making

Lakeshore Bridge

Sarah Lynch — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:48:44 +0000

7"X5" Acrylic on board A familiar sight to anyone who tries to cross the canal on the Lakeshore Road at about 5:30 on a late winter evening. One of those situations where the visor really doesn't help. You have to drive one-handed while using the other one to try to block the sun without actually blocking your view of the road completely.

Another Morning on the Canal

Sarah Lynch — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:44:54 +0000

7"X5" Acrylic on board

I never seem to have my camera with me on the best days, when the air is so still that the water is like a mirror. This one wasn't bad, there was no sun but the reflections were good.

Lock Four

Sarah Lynch — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:02:27 +0000

16"X20" Oil on board

This one is a couple of years old. The scene caught my eye one day driving over the Glendale bridge. The sky was almost black but the evening sun had just managed to find its way under the clouds to illuminate Lock Four to the South. I didn't have a camera with me at the time, so I went back the next day and took a picture anyway. I tried to get the lighting effects from memory.

Bridge at Lock 2

Sarah Lynch — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:27:28 +0000

5"X7" Acrylic on board

I seem to be doing a lot of acrylics recently. Am I getting the hang of them yet? I am not sure, I am getting better at the colour mixing I think, but am still not used to the lack of blendability. The clean up is certainly a little easier.

This is another familiar sight for me, here the overcast sky has created an early twilight. Fortunately there is no boat or I could be waiting another half hour.

Bridged

Sarah Lynch — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:39:03 +0000

5.5"X3.5" Pen & WC pencil on paper

To be "bridged" is a local term which refers to the state of being delayed at the canal while a laker makes its way through one of the lift bridges. Such was my condition this morning.

Instead of playing the guessing game of trying to decide which alternate route to try, which often results in the state of being "double bridged", I decided to sit and sketch the boat as it crept towards me. These boats are often as long 260 meters (850 ft)but no more than 24 meters (78 ft) wide. This constraint is imposed by the size of the locks through which they have to pass.

Lock 2 Raceway

Sarah Lynch — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:58:00 +0000

5″X7″ Oil on panel

The Welland Canal is endlessly fascinating. The current canal is the fourth and was completed in 1932. The first canal, completed in 1829, was much longer and more meandering, it joined Twelve Mile Creek and the Welland River with a flight of 40 locks which were all constructed from wood. The climb from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie is about 100 metres.

I have painted this same view before here and here.