Montreal Cotton – Painting to see : Peindre pour voir

Each day has its own individuality of colour.
Hawthorne on Painting

My hometown is Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and in 1874 the major employer in those days was a cotton company named the Montreal Cotton, MOCO in short, and people referred to it as “La Coton”. Everyone in Valleyfield had a parent that worked there at some point in time. My grandfather, William Hannah worked there as a small boss. His son Dorland, my Dad, worked there also separating the cotton threads. As most things today it has been converted to a hotel, and behind it an elderly residence.

Yesterday I brought my whole paraphernalia for sketching with me in Valleyfield and I managed to draw on location, but due to a lack of trees and the sun falling on me, I quit and I forgot to take a picture of my drawing.

I first painted the sky, then I painted the water and then the reflections. Then I painted the trees and the buildings and in the end put on a bit of calligraphy to show shadows and depth. Hope that you like it!

Paper: Travelogue 8″x8″
Watercolours: New Gamboge, Raw Sienna, Alizarin Crimson, Ceruleant Blue, Prussian Blue

This is how we named this company when I was young… “la coton” or the Montreal Cotton which transformed raw cotton into textile. This company came to Valleyfield in 1875 because of its hydroelectric power and Valleyfield was one of the first cities to receive electricity in the province of Quebec. It had 3000 employees and they also had a dairy and animal farm which they named “MoCo” (abbreviated for MOntreal COtton). On October 1st, 1900 employees went on strike in order to get better wages. If this story interests you, click on this LINK.

La “coton” ou la Montreal Cotton était une compagnie de textile qui s’implanta en 1875 à Valleyfield à cause de son pouvoir hydro-électrique. Il y avait 3000 employés. Le 1er octobre 1900 ils sont allés en grève pour avoir de meilleurs salaires. Si ce sujet vous intéresse voir ce LIEN.

Watercolours: Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith
Couleurs: Cobalt Blue, Burnt Orange, Alizarin Crimson
Pen: Pilot FlexiGrip
Ink: Noodlers Lexington Grey