Like many of his peers, Russian landscapist Ivan Choulste dedicated himself to the rugged natural beauty of his country but he truly excelled at painting snow. He adored the light of the Mediterranean, but his winter paintings have the ring of truth. This is an artist who puts you right into the scene; his foregrounds often come right up close against the picture plane, as if to continue right into the viewer’s space.
The key to painting snow is to mix the proper values of warm and cool “whites” (often, as below, not white at all but yellow/orange and blue/violet) and to nail the edges between the shadows and the lights with just enough blending.
Ivan Fedorovich Choulste, Winter, oil
How to capture the beauty of a seemingly white on white world? Keep in mind its not all white. In any snow scene there will be numerous half tones and a few highlights. Darkening the halftones is what allo0ws the light to shine (and thus appear believable). Many artists use a mix of titanium white with a little ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson for the mids and a mix including white plus yellow ochre or cadmium orange (or yellow deep) for the highlights.
In other words, snow painting is all about subtle coloration and temperature. Choulste’s Winter more than meets the challenge. It’s unusual to find such a “warm” (orange-tinged) sunset snowscape, or indeed any snowscape as vibrant.
Ivan Fedorovich Choulste, Nuit de Mars, Russie, Oil on canvas, 25 x 32 inches
Winter nocturnes – snowy scenes at night – are also relatively rare in the history of painting. It’s all the more striking, then, when we encounter one such as Choulste’s snowy pond’s edge beneath the stars.
Julie Gilbert Pollard, Sun & Snow – Lake Louise, waterclor, 15z21 inches.
Water-based media artist Julie Gilbert Pollard paints the above view of a frozen Lake Louise using a cool semi-transparent green for the cools and sienna for the warms. She teaches snow painting in acrylics here.
There are other very good videos on snow painting out there too. You can check out a nice selection of downloadable tutorials here.
2024 Guide to Realism Workshops, Schools, and Ateliers Out
Streamline has compiled a 2024 guide to art workshops, classes, schools, and ateliers. This guide is organized by State and includes a special section for Multiple Venues, International Art Workshops, and Online art workshops, so make sure you browse all of it to find the right place for you.
