Tilting at Windmills : Painting Quebec History

This one is from back before the book release started to envelop all my available time.  It’s from my summer watercolor sprint. The work I did just before heading to Brazil.

This quaint windmill is on L’Île-Perrot in the Pointe du Moulin – a tiny park on the south east tip of the island. In the summers they have a bit of historic recreation going on here, but I missed the costumed docents for the year. I did however, meet a genuine Voyageur.

While I was painting, a fellow beached his canoe. As I sketched, he proceeded to unload about 500 pounds of gear, and carry it, then his canoe, up the bank to the parking area. It was worth striking up a conversation to find out what was up. He told me he was just back from three months canoeing the great lakes – a few weeks of that being lost in terrible weather – trying to follow routes established by his grandfather. Not for any reason, other than to be closer to his heritage as a Quebecois. He was quite the physical specimen. Looked completely the part of the rugged outdoors-man. I didn’t doubt any part of his story, and was impressed to have met him.

That chance meeting is exactly why I love painting out in the world. You can never say what’s going to happen on a given day.

This outing, I’d forgotten one key part to my tripod. (The threaded bit where the drawing table attaches). Fortunately I could use this stone wall as a table. I did have to pile rocks on the drawing boards to keep them from blowing away. I think the unsteady work situation added some excitement to the brush work. That and all the spiders coming out of those rocks. I was careful not to jump around like a little girl while Mr. Voyageur was anywhere near by.