Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

The other day my friend Shari took me on a sketching tour of St. Anne de Bellevue. It’s a scenic town on the western tip of the island. I had no idea there were places like this around Montreal.  I’m from the prairies, so what do I know?

Shari introduced me to painting from the car. This is a good solution for the cold Canadian weather. And it’s the urban sketchers equivalent of a detective on stake out! Street sketching is already somewhat like spying. Might as well get into the role.

Sainte-Anne felt a lot like a New England fishing village. Lots of narrow curving streets, small shops and eateries and the water always close by. I’m sure I could find some boats around here if I poke around.

Up in the back streets you’ll find a few of these interesting pre-war houses. Plenty of big brick mansions not too far away – but I was struck by this cute green and yellow ‘dollhouse’. I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about people returning to small homes like this. They’re efficient to construct, and don’t grab more space than a person really needs.