Gone but not forgotten

Red Barn, Winter 6x6 oil, copyright 2012

Thanks to rain and above normal temperatures this week, our snow is completely gone.  I did manage to get quite a few reference photos though and am working my way through them.   Snow can be rather challenging to paint.  The brain tells you that it is white, but the eyes see blues and purples in the shadows, yellows and pinks and oranges in the light.  It can be tricky to find the right balance between what you think you know and what you think you are seeing.

This particular painting was the last one I did last year.  It is loosely based on a neighbor's barn, one that can be seen from our house.