Back to winter
Posted: February 9, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized 24 CommentsI’m catching up on winter by painting in studio this week during yet another colder than cold snap. I’ve been collecting photos while out on walks in the woods with Alice, and I figured that this would be a good week to experiment.
Today’s limited palette includes Daniel Smith’s Lunar Blue — a blue/black very granulating pigment — along with Cobalt Blue, Burnt Sienna and Holbein Umber. I painted this one wet-in-wet because the damp paper allows me to layer the darks to create the depth in the woods. Painted on a quarter sheet of Saunders Waterford CP 140 lb paper.
Winter in so pretty in paintings. But in paintings, you can’t feel the bitter cold. Spring oh Spring, where are thou?
HI Rita,
I don’t know about you, but here spring is still a long way off!!
I hope it’s early this year but in Canada they say we have many springs.
I know it’s been so cold everywhere this year. Hope you are staying warm.
Beautiful!
Laura, thank you very much!
I love the tiny pops of yellow in there, like hopes of warmer weather to come🤞. Beautifully painted!
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I LOVE this one!!
Bernadette, thank you!!
I LOVE THIS PAINTING!
Thanks Denise!
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!
I’m impressed with the whites on all the small branches. This is lovely! This is one to study since I’ve been able to paint our snow quite a few times since it hasn’t melted yet.
Joan, I hear from sons in NY that the snow is sticking around this year. I hope it warms up soon for you.
Awesome, Shari! Winter can be so beautiful.
Thanks Lynn. Yes, winter can be beautiful!!
Amazing depth and nuance. Helps me to love this long winter!
Many thanks Mary!
I would love to see you demo this one. So much to learn. This is beautiful.
Nancy, some paintings are hard to do as demos. I think this would be one of them. I paint it very intuitively without having much of a process… It would be hard to talk through it. But you never know!
That’s beautiful, very ‘of’ the place. Can I ask, what do you like about Holbein Umber? It’s not a paint I’m familiar with. Also, did you paint the snow ‘blobs’ on the left with gouache? They work because they don’t look heavy or placed on top, if you know what I mean,
Hi Caroline,
Thanks for asking about Holbein Umber. I first saw this used in a demo by Sterling Edwards. He uses it as a warm dark. I tried it and loved it because it is not as orangey as Burnt Umber. It’s really beautiful mixed with Ultramarine or Cobalt Blue because I can get a dark that is not too blue. As for the snow blobs, that is Titanium White watercolour, painted full strength right out of the tube.
Shari
Really nice – a great success – conveys the cold so well – and with crispness!
Thanks Chris!
I am so glad I am not in that snow to live! I’ll visit with your painting and be happy. Really beautifully done – and it conveys that cold I remember so well.
Thanks so much Naomi!!