Painting in Winter

Many people ask me what I do in the winter.

It's a perfectly fair question, seeing that I am a plein air painter and the bulk of my painting is done outdoors. Connecticut is generally cold and snowy this time of year, but the light is so exquisite during these cold months that I am compelled to layer up and get painting.

What is different about winter light? It's shorter, that's one thing. As the sun dips behind the trees earlier in the day, my schedule morphs. Early summer mornings, before the sky is fully awake, are gentle and serene. Early winter mornings are like the surprised bark of a dog in the dark.

Normally, mid-day sun is too harsh for painting, but not so in these winter months. Sometimes the sky is milky white and the light is so sheer it's like a veil gently drifting from the sky above. Shadows turn lavender, and the smallest poke of a green blade of grass is almost painful to behold in it's splendor. Other days the sky is pure clean blue, and light bounces off trees to create intricate patterns on the snow-covered ground.

Of course there are obvious challenges to winter painting—the temperature—but there are blessings, too. No bugs. The quiet of winter is crystal clear. A fresh snow is comforting. Bare tree arms reach for the glassine sky. Colors range from russet to violet. Ice becomes stained glass.

The winter landscape is a breath of fresh, albeit cold, air.