Shovelling Out

It's an activity that New Englanders spend lots of time on during an average winter.  That is - shoveling snow.   The first snow storm of the season is a novelty: fresh air - physical exertion - rosy cheeks - schedules on hold.  



Shoveling Out

Then the next storm comes - then another and another.   The shoveling gets old rapidly, but I never get tired of the beauty of a fresh blanket of snow.   The new white cover hides the monotony of winter brown and grey and the previous storm's dirty snowbanks.

Analyzing the colors of snow in order to paint it reveals that snow is not white - for the most part.   Yes, perhaps the brightest highlights are white if it is bright and sunny, but if the day is cloudy or it is still snowing, you can observe every shade of gray - pink, blue, green, gold, shades of off-white.

In this scene, we are digging out after a particularly harsh Nor'easter.   (Observe the beach steps in the background, tossed into the street by the storm surge.)  I was attracted to the composition formed by the dark forms (my two favorite shovellers) against the winter wonderland.    I applied most of the snow loosely via palette knife, applied thick impasto style.   After the painting had dried for a couple of weeks, I splattered snowflakes across the entire painting using a stiff bristle brush.

I've been waiting for a storm to post it, but since it seems there will not be much this year, here it is!   (Yes!  I may have
just jinxed us! :))