Snow scenes are Eric's coolest!

Eynsham artist Eric White is an absurdly talented user of soft pastels. Here he explains why he so drawn to painting snow scenes in this most difficult medium.

Eric shows off one of his many sublime paintings of snow

"Whenever there is a forecast of snow I make sure that my schedule will allow me to get out with sketchbook and camera to capture the magic of a landscape transformed by the white stuff.  Since normal life often comes to a standstill after a heavy fall, no excuse is needed to don appropriate boots and clothing to head off into the countryside around Eynsham and, if the roads allow, a little further afield.

"Part of the appeal is the sheer physicality of the exercise. Seeing one’s breath on the cold air; feeling one’s gloveless hand numb as it grips the pencil; being the first to crunch the crisp new snow under one’s feet – it all adds to ‘being there’ and ‘capturing the moment’.

"Then there is the beauty of it all as contours are softened, all untoward ugliness is masked and the familiar beautified. The key change is with the light. How often is it that snowfall is duly followed by an intensity of sunlight not usually experienced on a regular winter’s day? In this light snow isn’t just white; if you look hard enough into its shadows you will discern a myriad of blues, pinks and purples. If the scene is still overcast and promising further falls, then it is the sky that takes on its own unusual colour spectrum. Everything is seen quite literally in a new light.

"Enjoy each season in turn. Be thankful for the life-giving rain and sun, but above all relish those all too fleeting magic days of snow."