Sunlight Through the Trees, Brailsford

“On a very cold December day, I went out in the snow with my son Mark, looking for subjects.

We walked up this lane in Brailsford, near Ashbourne. The lane soon turned into a track, which led uphilll through an area of woodland. When looking for a subject to paint in the snow, the light and shadows play a huge part and its good to find some contrasting warm colour. These woods were full of colour, especially with the sunlight filtering through the trees.

Farm vehicles had churned up the track, making lots of places for puddles, which in the freezing temperatures had turned to solid ice. The sunlight created an amazing range of colours which reflected in the snow and frozen puddles. While sitting so still observing and sketching this scene, the pheasants completely ignored me and carried on as normal. Their feathers looked particularly bright against the snow. If you look carefully you will see a tiny robin in the trees.”

Rex Preston