January Thaw

This 9x12 oil painting was done during our "January Thaw" this year. It was started en plein air, but I had trouble with the foreground and had to essentially re-paint that entire section at home...still not sure I've got the perspective of the furrows right, but it'll do for now. We had a lot of snow in early January, then a mild period with rain...so the air had a fair bit of moisture in it, giving those background trees an interesting, warmish glow in the sunlight. It was a very beautiful mid-winter day.

The main attractions to me were the way the cluster of buildings sat in the landscape, and the "rivers" and puddles of water in the foreground. On the jpeg, the whites have translated a little too bright and cold, especially in the buildings...and the blue tones in the puddles aren't quite right. But you get the idea.