'We have now worked together through three seasons of the year, each with its particular difficulties and problems and each yielding a wealth of information and experience which should serve all of us well in whichever way we may tackle the winter months,' said Edwrad Wesson in 1962.

'For those of us who may now prefer to work in the shelter of our studios, there should be records and notes sufficient to keep us busy and, I do not doubt, some failures which we would do well to reconsider and perhaps tackle again.

'I want to appeal to my more hardy readers to continue with me into this most fascinating of all the seasons, painting as often as possible in the field. This may sound pretty grim and, of course, at times it will be, but do be assured that any efforts made will, more often than not, be well rewarded.

'I have sometimes found myself in the most frightful positions, wondering whether it is worth the effort, yet, invariably I have learnt something, if only what NOT to do, and on occasions have achieved some fair results. And with a fairly good painting in the bag, it is surprising how quickly we can forget that in order to get it we nearly had the car in a ditch, or were so cold that it was with difficulty we gathered up our equipment for the journey home. On the other hand I have known it to be warmer on a mild, still day in January than on a draughty one in June! Such is our climate.

'However, it is essential that we should be as comfortable as possible and there are today many aids to this end. Fashion provides all manner of fur-lined coats, boots and, yes, even hats, so that we can if so minded present the appearance of Arctic trappers.

'Dress, however, is the most personal of problems and it must be left to each and his own taste. For my money, the main essentials are a duffle coat and something warm round the neck, with outsize gumboots and an extra pair of socks.

'I find I cannot work in gloves or mittens, but a golfing friend gave me a pair of fur-lined wristlets which I find keep my hands warm for longer periods. Together with an old hat pulled well down over my ears I may present a pretty fair picture of a scarecrow, but at this time of the year few mad dogs and even fewer Englishman will be about to bother with what I’m looking like!

'There is one other thing I find most useful in wet or frosty weather. This consists of a piece of duck-boarding about one yard square. This is small enough to carry in the boot of a car and big enough to stand on comfortably and raised off the ground in this way I find my feet keep warmer.

'Thus equipped, we should be ready to look around to see what the winter landscape has to offer us. After the late autumn rains we shall find the ponds full and the trees bare and, quite often, a pond, which has been passed unnoticed during the summer months, will suddenly present us with a subject.

'Under its summer clothing it has remained choked, if not actually hidden, by the over-hanging trees and the growth on its own banks. Now we can see it and, through the bare trees, the distance beyond, whilst in the foreground the reeds and rushes, though somewhat battered down, will perhaps be in the most delightful shades of rust and yellows. These colours set off against the browns and greys of the trees and the distance will usually make a good subject.

'I never cease to marvel at the amount of colour to be seen at this season. Even under dull conditions the trees are never black, nor are the hedges quite as bare as we might expect. And, in sunlight, we shall be amazed at the warmth and brilliance.

'Pearl greys and rich emerald greens will be found in the tree trunks whilst, here and there, a few tattered remnants of autumn will be found in the branches. Over there in the middle distance the massed trees might well be recorded in pure burnt sienna, broken perhaps with warm greys and so to the distant grey-blues.

'Much more could be pointed out just now, then suddenly we are going to awake one morning to find everything under snow. What a transformation and how the values of familiar objects will have changed overnight! Space does not permit a catalogue of all that can be seen under these conditions.'

Landscape under Snow

'I have shown in my colour plate a sketch made on a morning after snow had fallen, not, I might add, because I am proud of the result, but because I want to offer it for what it is worth, as an attempt made in difficult conditions.

'Apart from the snow and the graceful lines of the trees, there was really very little to recommend it as a subject. The light was poor, the sky still being full of snow, and at nine o’clock the temperature was around ten degrees below freezing. Even my duck-board was of no avail, since the snow was deep.

'If I tell you that I fell flat on my chin twice during this exercise, you will appreciate this was one of those occasions when you wonder if it is worthwhile! Under such conditions there must be faults and ill-considered passages, but my readers will I know spot these and I hope forgive them.

'Under normal conditions I would always advise spending at least as much on the consideration of a subject as in its execution, but in this case, because of the temperature, I knew the time for either was limited.

'So with very little consideration I attacked the sky since I could see its general tone would be the key to the whole effect. This was predominantly grey, getting warmer in the lower passages, and was washed down to the line of snow. Some vague shapes were left white to indicate where snow still hung in the branches or had lodged on the fencing and the trunks of the trees.

'I would have liked to wait then until I could put in the grey-blues of the distance, but knew that the initial wash would be some time before it dried out enough. Instead, I popped in some indications of the shapes in the foreground, using cobalt and bright red, and adding burnt umber and raw sienna in the darker accents under the trees and in the left hand corner.

'I then attempted the distance, in which the colour ran rather more than I had anticipated, but which gave an effect not totally unrelated to the atmosphere as I felt it and which I was quite happy to leave. Quickly I followed this with the general drapery of the trees and let in the shapes at the end of the lane.

'Although I had added a few drops of glycerine to the water, I noticed slight flaking in some passages, which will indicate how cold it was. A few more drops, however, corrected this and I had no more trouble.

'As soon as the sky was dry enough, I was able to introduce the tall tree trunks which did not present any difficulty except where they ran into the distance.

'Some final accents to suggest the branches and the wire fencing were put in after I had taken a brisk walk up the lane. I suppose more could have been said, or could it, in these conditions?'

Snow at Netley Mill

'The illustration Snow at Netley Mill shows happier circumstances. This was painted two days later and although the snow still lay fairly thickly, it was much warmer; but within twenty-four hours it had all gone.'

A Winter Pond

'And so on through the later winter months with bright, frosty days, illustrated perhaps by A Winter Pond, and many dull, damp ones, of which Winter Lane could be an example.

'Through them all will be threads of Old Man’s Beard and gleams of light to give an unusual twist to common-objects. At last the winds and rains of March will seem suddenly to wash out all this magic and for a week or two the trees will seem to be almost black against the showery skies.'

Winter Lane

'Maybe it is because we have completed the cycle and are in need of time to take stock of a year’s work completed. Certainly we shall soon be looking forward to a fresh start which is, surely, where we came in.'

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Click here to see Edward Wesson’s watercolour through the seasons, Spring

Click here to see Edward Wesson’s watercolour through the seasons, Summer

Click here to see Edward Wesson’s watercolour through the seasons, Autumn

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