Painting Snow Scenes in Gouache

James Gurney shares tips for painting plein air winter landscapes in watermedia

- James Gurney

If it’s above freezing, you can paint in watermedia.

I paint this scene on a day when it’s above 50 degrees Fahrenheit and there’s no danger of the paint freezing. I haven’t had much luck using watermedia when the temperature goes below freezing. I have tried using vodka or whisky in place of the water, but those haven’t worked for me. But in the Hudson Valley of New York state, there are many days in the winter when there’s snow on the ground, but the temperature is above freezing. If I want to paint when it’s colder, I sketch from inside a car—or switch to oil paint.

Look for winter landscapes in common places.

If you live in a snowy climate, you don’t need to travel far to find interesting snowscapes. Snow transforms common places into magical realms. Some of my favorite subjects are the huge snow piles in the parking lots of big-box stores and supermarkets. In this case I’m interested in the way the sunlight and shadow reveals a variety of textures.

Be aware of the quality of the light.

Direct sunlight and a cloudless sky reveals form by setting up strong value contrasts between light and shade. I paint this scene on a day when the sun was filtered by a layer of high clouds. Overcast light brings out less contrast of form, but it makes variations in local color more apparent. There is a thin layer of fresh snow on top of a gray base of older snow. As the snow melts, the older layers come to the surface.

Shield your eyes from direct sunlight on snow.