Holiday paintings in Bolton

Over a brief holiday to visit Mom and Dad, I completed a few paintings around the backyard and valley. Their house backs onto a ravine, so there are plenty of forest scenes to be painted. Above is a scene of a very tall pine tree in the backyard, with the colourful christmas lights on the railing of the balcony. 

Tree deck lights, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, December 2025 

Down in the valley, tall grass and reeds were poking out over deep snow. Bright sun illuminated the scene, creating blue shadows and a warm glow. The reeds are done with raw sienna, a dab of burnt sienna, then a dab of raw umber. All three paints are called PBr7 (brown pigment 7) but look and handle differently. 

Sun over valley, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, December 2025 

This willow tree still had some yellowish streaks which contrasted nicely against the blue sky. I first established the blue sky with a simple colour fade (described in my page on how to paint the sky), then daubed in some moist yellow ochre to let it blend wet-in-wet. As it dried, I worked on the previous painting (sun over valley), then went back to this one and applied the dry-brush tree trunk and branch textures. 

Winter willow, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, December 2025 

Last time I painted this pond there were still geese remaining. No geese this time around, just some logs encased in ice. With the temperature and amount of salt in the water, I went for an impressionist style using short, distinct brushstrokes. In this way, the scene can be completed in one go without waiting for layers to dry. As a watercolour painter I am always thinking about the timing and order of things to create a finished work on location. 

Logs frozen pond, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, December 2025 

Squirrels were bounding through the snow, like this one, looking for some forgotten nut or morsel of food. In the winter, they send one squirrel out at a time, leaving the rest of the family in the nest. The squirrels here in Montreal do the same thing when the temperature drops enough. If it warms, several will come out at the same time, its a matter of heat conservation. Another neat thing we learned is that squirrels will purr like a cat if you can get close enough and they are relaxed. Cilei got me a squirrel T-shirt printed and made in Montreal for christmas, it is cool. We got lots of chocolates, puzzles and warm socks too. 

Squirrel bounding snow, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, December 2025