Deer in a Snowy Forest 1906

Charles M. Russell made this watercolour of deer in a snowy forest in 1906. It's such a dreamy scene. I love the way he's used the watercolour, keeping it really loose and washy, so everything feels kind of ephemeral. It’s not about getting every detail perfect, but more about capturing a feeling, a mood, like a memory of a winter day. Look at the trees, how they kind of dissolve into the background. And then, bam, those deer are right there in the foreground, so present. The way he’s layered the colours, especially the blues and browns, gives a real sense of depth and coolness. It’s almost like you can feel the crisp air. The brushstrokes are really visible, which gives it this sense of immediacy, like he painted it in one go. Russell's work reminds me a bit of Winslow Homer, that same love of the outdoors and a really intuitive way of using watercolour, but Russell definitely has his own thing going on. It's like he’s inviting you into his memory of this snowy landscape.