Merry Christmas!

Great work Fiona!! so full of atmosphere, super trees and icy water, you have a lovely fluid fresh style of painting, Merry Xmas!!

This is simply STUNNING, Fiona! It has tons of atmosphere and I love the contrast in textures - the clumps of snow, the icy surface and the craggy branches. A very merry Christmas and New Year to you!

Thank you Mark, I wondered if the look of icy water would come across. I didn't know how to tackle it really, so I muted the reflections, don't know if it was the right way to go?

You are very generous Seok, thank you. It's a completely different painting to the one I started; it was, two large ivy covered trees and a grey snow threatening sky....didn't like the result. So I scrubbed it back to the underpainting which blended all the colours together, I quite liked the effect, so kept that as the background and painted the muted trees and the foreground trees in afterwards. I might try this technique again in the future...it's full of surprises!

Well, Fiona, I really like this one - I'm with Mark and Seok, it's a lovely painting. I, too, noticed the icy nature of the pool. I think the iciness comes across because the reflections do not contain the usual ripples indicating water. Similarly, the horizontal marks are straight and not rippled. Strangely, I am also trying my hand at a threatening sky after looking at Ken Bushe's work but I am having a problem in making the photograph look like the painting!! Seasons greetings to you and yours, Fiona, and thanks for your help during 2013.

Fiona this is beautiful, a delightful oil painting, the ice covered pond zings and the misty background works perfectly, the clear rendering of the fore and mid ground trees give lovely depth to the scene, there is a chilly cold feel to the whole painting so you have achieved what you wanted to put across with ease, the overriding grey tones create exactly the right effect, best wishes to you and your family for Christmas and New Year xx

I totally agree with the above comments Fiona, it is a lovely atmospheric painting, the colours and reflections are superb. All the best to you and yours for Christmas and 2014.

Lionel, I'm so pleased you like it. I don't do enough oils to be confident in what I produce. I will have to look at Ken Bushe's work, I haven't heard his name before. Thank you for your good wishes and I hope we will see more of your super skies!

Many thanks Ros and Caroline for your lovely comments today and over the past year, really appreciate them.

Fiona this is stunning and as others have said the "icy" pond is so effective. I'm sorry I've not commented on the wonderful paintings you have produced in recent months. Life has been a bit hectic on the business front. Although I've been looking at the gallery I've not actually commented on anything. Thank you for your comment on my Cumbria grey day -I've not been able to get to do any painting since that one. Hopefully I will get back to it in the new year. In the meantime I will continue to enjoy yours and other people's paintings. My very best wishes to you and all on POL for Christmas and the NEW Year

I knew this one was yours as soon as I saw it. I love the palette and it works so well, however, it came about! That is one of the advantages of oils. Have a great Christmas and all the best for 2014! (I hope they sort out this fault in my name ... it's been fine for years!)

Fiona - best wishes to you too; you can find Ken Bushe easily online, and he's well worth finding, too. And he has a rabbit .... who stars frequently on his website. I like the muted colours in this - my friend Murray Ince has a book out on watersoluble oils; I think you should be able to find it on Amazon.

Hi Carol, glad to hear you are still looking in, hope your busy life allows you to get the paints out soon! Thank you very much.

Many thanks Gudrun! All the best x. Thank you Robert, for the good wishes and the name of your friend, I'm off to have a look! I did look at Ken Bushe's website, some very dramatic skies, I also like his other work. Didn't see the rabbit though.

I also recognised this as one of yours Fiona but was surprised to find it was an oil! Hope you will treat us to some more in the new Year.

I agree with all the comments above Fiona, this is a gorgeous painting with a real winter feel in it. I wish you a Very Happy Christmas and New Year 2014!!

Love it Fiona, a wonderful painting in oils! thank you. Happy Christmas to you and your family.

Thank you very much Stephen, Satu and Carole, warm wishes to you all.

This painting is so atmospheric. Really captures the cold weather. Love the icy pond. I have also browsed your folders and love the fresh approach you have. Happy Christmas.

You are very kind Cecilia, thank you.

Great atmospheric piece of painting Fiona, I think you have captured the scene of a very cold winter scene brilliantly, well done. Have a Happy Christmas and New Year and hope all your painting goes well for you in 2014.

Wow, this is stunning Fiona, the colours and reflections are perfect. Thank you for your Christmas message I wish you and your family a very Happy Christmas and hope 2014 is good for you too. Will be in touch in the New Year.

Many thanks Graham, Glennis. All the very best for an inspirational 2014! x

Like it

Charles, hello there! Thank you, glad you like it. X

Very atmospheric, with great depth and reflections very well done, I can almost feel the cold. Trees are a very hard subject to tackle I've only ever painted one I think. Maybe I'll be brave enough to tackle some one day. I see from your portfolio that I've missed some really great work.

Thanks Kevin for your lovely comment, I hope looking back over my recent work you see a small improvement. Lol.

Wow, that does look cold. Perfect icy reflections and great recession with the loose trees in the background. You're as adept with oils as you are with watercolours. Brilliant painting. I hope you have a great first Christmas in your new home X

How thoughtful of you to remember this is my first Christmas here, I can't believe that we have been here eleven months tomorrow! At the moment I'm feeling really sorry for the people where I use to live, the weather is positively awful at the moment. I hope they manage to keep their power on, at least over Christmas. How is it with you, it isn't too bad here at the moment. Thank you very much for your good wishes and comment and I hope you and your family have a super time and the best of health and happiness for 2014! X

Merry Christmas Fiona! Lovely painting , especially the still water. I don't seem to have much time for painting nowadays, especially as I look after my Grandson during the week which I thorally enjoy. I still pop into this site and have a browse occasionally and wanted to wish you seasonal greetings and all the best for next year :)

All the best Sarah, hope you get more time to paint in the New Year....thank you for your lovely comment.

Hi Fiona, very wet and windy here in the Central belt but not too bad,could be a lot worse. My brother has just left here on his way back up to Inverness after visiting relatives in Yorkshire so he has to negotiate the A9 and you know what a problem that road can be in winter! Don't envy him his journey. Hope the weather calms down a bit for everyone further north. Take care and happy painting in 2014.

Hi Fiona I didn't get on the site before Christmas but I do want to say that I really like this. It is so atmospheric and the cold positively leaps off the paper. Happy New Year.

Thank you very much Dawn for taking the trouble to look and comment. A Happy New Year to you you too!

I love the fir tree with it's snow and the reflections in the water. This is a lovely scene full of atmosphere Fiona.