Painting the snow is a great challenge if you want to increase your sensibility for colors.

Today I enjoyed a peaceful walk here, in the Slovenian Alps. The snow covered the forest, and the sun was shining through the trees.

The path was all mine. I occasionally stopped to observe the trees and their shadows, the footprints, the dry leaves, and the branches.

If we ask ourselves what the color of the snow is, most of us will reply immediately, without thinking: white, of course.

But is it?

Let yourself observe the snow for a while. How would you paint it?

For me, the snow today was pink and light yellow and bluish in the shadows of the trees. There was also a part where it was brownish – where the snow mixed with soil and dry leaves (and occasional Naples yellow parts where dogs peed).

If I were to go to the same places in different weather conditions or by night, I would surely see colors differently. If I were angry and restless, maybe I would’ve seen a lot of reds and greens. Who knows?

Colors in a painting start engaging the gaze even before one can notice it. And they are powerful transmitters of feelings. That is why learning to mix colors and increasing your color sensibility is essential.

Paul Cezanne said: “I never thought of winter without thinking of snow.” At the end of this blog post, I would add to his words: never think of the snow without thinking about its colors, and enjoy it as if you were a child again;)