Late Winter is always a time of rapid changes. Alternating between bitter cold and warm days, the landscape seems to compete to release itself from winters grip. First signs of the coming spring are when the farm fields start to melt. This creates a nice opportunity for painting, with warm grasses starting to show through the snow, the pink/purple hue in the deciduous trees as the buds start to swell, against a backdrop of deep snow lingering in the hills and mountains.
This view is from Fairfax Vermont on the way to Fletcher. Mount Mansfield dominates the skyline while a local farm provides the signs of a waning winter.
Small paintings like this often serve as inspiration for larger works. However there is a lot of satisfaction in bringing a big landscape to a small panel with its challenges of scale and simplification. Its a challenge I have always enjoyed.
