Snow has its challenges to be sure, but I believe the rewards outweigh the discomfort when it comes to painting a winter scene en plein air. The thing to remember is that there are winter days, and there are winter days, and all are not alike.
I’ve certainly done my share of painting in most winter conditions, from the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California to the Wasatch Range and Rockies of Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho. These on-location outings ranged from below-zero temps, all the way to summer in the mountains wearing a T-shirt. That may sound odd, but those of you who live in mountainous regions know that there can be snow in the high country in July, which makes for great snow painting conditions!
Artistically, the thing I like most about snow is that it can transform a mundane scene into something spectacular overnight. The reason for this is the immediate contrast it provides to a scene that may lack a variety of values due to an overabundance of mid-tones.
Here’s a painting that depicts one of my favorite local spots in the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City. I’ve included a few steps along with my thinking process as I painted it.
Painting a Winter Scene, Step by Step
Step 1 – Instead of the typical linear start, I mainly concentrated on dividing the canvas up into large patterns of light and dark shapes. As I developed this mass drawing I left bare canvas for the snow patterns and used a rag to make further adjustments as needed. This gave me a basic map of where to lay in subsequent colors.
Step 2 – Here I began to put down heavier bodied applications of paint, using colors that are close in range to the finished painting. Keep in mind that everything done at this stage is always subject to modification.
Step 3 – At this stage I wanted to cover the entire canvas rapidly to set up a sympathetic layer of paint which could be modeled and enhanced further during the next phase of the process in step 4.
Step 4 – In this final step you can see how I rearranged the large shape which dissects the scene in the middle of the photo. The saturation of the bushes was also enhanced for more visual impact. Changes were made to the location to fit my artistic vision, rather than painting a mere record of what was there. Copying is more the job of a camera, as opposed to a landscape painter, who records not only a sense of the location they are working in, but more importantly, their feelings about the place.
I hope you enjoyed the demo and that it helps you as you paint out in nature this winter!
Editor’s Note: Join us for the 6th Annual Plein Air Live online art conference, featuring Kathleen Hudson, Kevin Macpherson, Kami Mendlik, and many more! The event takes place November 12-14, 2025, with an Essential Techniques Day on November 11. Learn more at PleinAirLive.com.
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