Alps in the Snow

Below are a few landscapes I painted in the alps after my recent Geneva exhibition.

The main trick to painting outdoors successfully in cold weather is quite simply to keep warm. I find getting cold feet while painting quickly saps my concentration. It is worth investing in some warm boots with thick soles. Standing on a duckboard or a plank of wood on top of the snow, rather than in the snow, is also not a bad idea. The other potential problem is cold hands. It is difficult to paint with gloves on – I generally do not use them. Instead of a glove, you can use a knitted woollen sock which, when you push the paintbrush through it, allows you to keep your hands warm and manipulate the brush as usual. This works quite well. There are such things as hand warmers though which are a godsend.

Before I start I stamp on the snow where I am going to  paint to compact it. That way, when I set up my easel it does not sink into the snow much. Although there can be quite a glare when the sun comes out, I avoid sunglasses so that I can see and paint the  colours correctly. I find the only solution to coping with the glare is to wear a wide brimmed hat. It works but only after a fashion.