Fish Creek Park winter landscape of a fallen tree — original photo and black and white artwork.

Fallen Tree

Painting a Fallen Tree in Winter a Quiet Landscape Study

Inspiration

On a quiet, unseasonably warm winter day in Fish Creek Park, I wandered upon a half-frozen bend of the creek, caught between stillness and motion. The sun’s reflection in the water was breathtaking, a soft glow mirrored on the creek’s glassy surface. Just beyond it, a lone fallen tree stretched across the scene like a natural bridge, delicately etched in snow. For a moment, it felt as though the world held two suns—one above, one below—mirroring each other in quiet harmony.

Artwork Details

Medium: 18" × 24" canvas, oil painting (black and white)
Materials: Tree skin (a thin outer layer of bark)
Inspiration: Alberta winter creek landscape
Location: Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Provincial Park
Highlight: The fallen tree is embossed with tree skin collected from the landscape

Original Photo and Reflection

For years, I struggled to capture the quiet presence of a fallen tree, its form defying the way I had learned to see. But this winter, something shifted. In the stillness, inspiration found me—revealing a vision in black and white. The tree, though laid upon the earth, rose in its own way—vast, majestic, and enduring. It felt alive still, as if it had not fallen at all, but simply chosen to stand in another direction.