Fresh River Snowfall

Oil on Linen Canvas, 18 x 26 inches

I wanted to do another snowy one for my exhibition, and this one fitted the bill.  It's from the snowfall of 2010 down by the River Welland at Duddington, not far from my studio.  The remains of the umbelliforous Angelica plants in the foreground were heavily snowcapped, like white lollipops, and added a charm to the scene I thought, so I gave them a starring role in the composition.

Snow is, as we all know, white, but it only appears white when sunlit, as in the far bank on the upper right, the lightest part of the painting.  All the rest of the snow is in comparative shadow and thus various shades of blue and mauve.  Actually, the white lollipops themselves were the most difficult to paint, with so many subtle tones in them, and it was quite a relief to finish them.