The school bus picks up right at the end of our driveway, and on winter mornings waiting out there with my kids, the sun peeks out from behind distant trees across the farm fields just before the yellow of the bus can be seen rounding the corner, heading our way. We stand out there together, awaiting Mr. Bob behind the wheel, bundled in knit hats and down jackets, our fingers nearly immobile inside our warmest gloves, and the winter sun is starkly bright and warm against our faces.
Some days, it looks like a brilliant, orange ball, like the yolk of an egg from a golden chicken in the heavens being gently tugged upward in the sky. There are only a few moments when it appears huge and whole and vibrant this way, before it snags somehow, the yolk streaking into thin rays and spreading too thin, losing its shape and saturation as it works to melt snow and light the world.
When I stand there watching the fleeting process, I see so many colors in the snow and, of course, the sky. It is a treat for enduring the chill, day in and day out. It is a lure when I don’t feel like getting out from my warm covers and abandon the softness of my pillow. The sun changes the look of everything, too; the shining light give the sparkles of the snow their twinkle and takes all the gloom away.
And this is exactly what I hoped to capture in my first painting of the year, “Winter’s Blanket.” You can watch some video clips of the painting process on my Pinterest page here. I hope you enjoy it and feel that peace and warmth throughout the rest of your day.
Contact me if you are interested in purchasing this painting, and let me know in the comments below if you would like to see prints of Winter’s Blanket added to the shop.
