Hard Frost and Sun Glint

Oil on Board, 9 x 12 inches

This is another one bound for Iona House Gallery to join their continuing Winter exhibition.

I love this sort of subject, but I find it the toughest to paint - those incredibly subtle tones of bare trees looking straight into the light. I almost invariably paint the more distant tree tones a little too dark and have to adjust them until the right balance is achieved. I could have left them as they were and adjusted the other tones accordingly, but I wanted to portray that really bright sunlight piercing through the trees, so I opted not to be lazy and repaint them.

As ever, I love painting frosty grass, which is such a gorgeous silvery colour, very light, but a couple of tones down from the intense light on the water, which in turn is marginally lighter than the sky. That sunlight reflected on the water is really the coup de grâce to complete the scene, without which would lack a little punch.