(Dedicated to Marshall)
As I worked on this painting I realized that it was a study in contrast. All trees have deformities, imperfections and broken branches, but when winter comes, the snow clings to the pines in a way that dresses them beautifully and hides most of their imperfections. In contrast, the deciduous trees, like these two large maples in the foreground, are already stripped to their skeletons in winter baring all their irregular growth patterns, brokenness, and scars from past encounters with weather, woodpeckers, and humans. Then the snow comes and, instead of hiding these imperfections, as it does for the conifers, it actually highlights them. It seems to accentuate all their brokenness, imperfections, and scars. The clinging snow on these old maples brings more attention to the story of their past, and for me, a different kind of beauty. The beauty of their imperfections. The random placement of the snow laden hay bales seemed to complete that story.