4. Winter Oils blog post four
Colour, Texture & the Wild Scottish Landscape
By Susan McMillan Art
This winter I’ve been working not just in my sketchbook, but in thick, expressive oils — letting palette knives carve movement into the paint, layering colour until the canvas feels alive, and leaning fully into the dramatic light of the Scottish landscape. These winter oil paintings are bolder, more physical, and much more intense than my watercolours — and they bring a different energy into my studio.
Impasto Arran: Wild Seas & Snow-Tipped Peaks
One of the first pieces in this winter oil collection captures Arran under snow — jagged peaks rising sharply above a churning blue sea. The paint is thick and sculptural, giving the sense of waves that move, air that shifts, and mountains that anchor the whole scene with quiet strength. This is the west coast I know: untameable, full of contrast, always pulling you back. The original is now sold but I can still do prints.
Winter Mountains in Blue & Gold
Another impasto work explores a very different palette — sweeping snowy mountains against a clear blue sky, set above warm, golden winter fields. The textures here are almost abstract up close, but stand back and the mountains form, crisp and bright. It’s winter light at its most striking: cold and warm meeting in the same breath.
Winter Sun Through the Strathaven Trees
This softer, dreamier oil painting captures a moment of low winter sun glowing through bare branches. There’s a gentle warmth to it — a reminder that winter isn’t only about cold skies, but also about the quiet beauty of pale sun on snow, long shadows, and stillness in the fields. Another scene discovered on my cycles.
Pink River & Winter Bloom
This expressive scene, full of vibrant pinks and purples, feels more like a memory than a literal landscape. Winter light can transform a familiar place into something almost enchanted. This piece leans into that magic — a simple curve of river turned luminous by the season. This was the real scene.
Snow on the Old Glasgow Road to Stewarton
Inspired by the winter landscape along the Old Glasgow Road heading towards Stewarton, this piece brings back the blue sweep of the tarmac, the telegraph poles, the scattered sheep and the soft winter sun pushing through the clouds. Another scene captured whilst on my bike, in snow and low light it becomes striking — a moment of stillness in motion.
A Different Kind of Winter Energy
While my winter sketchbook cards were quiet and gentle, these oil paintings are full of texture, bold colour and movement. They show the season’s drama — the wild seas, sharp air, long shadows and sudden warmth.
This collection marks a new step for me creatively, and I’m excited to share more as they come to life.
