How Winter Shimmers

"How Winter Shimmers" came from my time spent in Scotland and Normandy during the winter months. There's something unique about those coastal winters that I wanted to capture.

In this painting, I'm trying to show how winter light plays on water. It's not the harsh, bright light of summer, but something softer, more diffuse. I've used layers of translucent oil glazes to create that shimmer you see on cold days when the sun is low on the horizon.

The brown cliff on the right is solid, grounding the scene. But everything else – the sea, the sky, the distant shore – seems to blend together. That's what winter does in these places. It blurs the lines between elements, creating this ethereal landscape.