These are the things that help almost as much as good paint and a half decent canvas. That, and of course some bloody good music (BBC Radio 6 is unbeatable).
Last night I was bringing some detail and texture to the foreground of the painting. This gets addictive, and can lead to mistakes as you get overconfident, thankfully with liberal doses of coffee breaks, I try to temper my usual tendency to rush ahead.
How does the snow come into it? Well, it being so cold, it helps the paint take longer to dry and allows me a little extra time to develop the colours on the canvas. This can create beautiful depth and interest that draws you in. You may have noticed that not all the colours are relatively realistic, but that's not the point. I want to create something you recognise, but give you the viewer a broader experience of it, in the same way music can emphasise a scene in a play or film.
Lastly, my wee Dyson that tirelessly tries to keep me from freezing to the chair and makes the studio a comfortable space to work in. I'm not too far from completing this now, I reckon by this time next week I'll be hanging it in the house. Stay tuned for that update and more as I continue to build up my body of work for my upcoming solo exhibition.