Skating on the Dufferin Marsh

"Skating on the Dufferin Marsh" oil on canvas 20x24

Every year in February the local Dufferin Marsh Committee organize an afternoon of skating on the frozen marsh. The marsh is in the centre of Schomberg and the committee with the assistance of the Township keep as environmentally clean as possible.
The painting was inspired by several photos I had taken over the years, here you can see scenes from 2005 and 2010.
It was cold on both occasions and the time was late afternoon getting close to sunset.
One of the many challenges was getting the people to look like people but not to look like portraits , all of the participants look cold and ready for the hot chocolate!
The overall cold blue took several coats before I got it to my liking.
The sky was also awkward and I did exaggerate the purple to bring out the lateness of the day and the cold.
The poor trees look like they are impatient for Spring!
Hope I caught the feeling of a day in Ontario in mid February
John