Upstairs Downstairs

Montreal is well-known for its variety of beautiful outdoor stairs...I guess it saves on interior square footage, so... not a bad idea!  

Montreal's my home town (I now live near Charleston, SC) and I loved taking my adult painting students with me for a sketching workshop in Montreal in 2014.  I got to show them a variety of neighborhoods that make up this great city.   I pictured myself living in the lower level of this building, under the stairs.  It seemed like it would be nice and cool, and I'd love sitting on that outdoor patio area, watching life go by.  

This painting was begun "en plein air" (outdoors, on site) and then I finished it in my studio once I got home.  I used watercolors as well as pen & ink .  I think I totally captured the flavor of this neighborhood!