The Lost Garden - Second day

After my little hiatus away from the studio I have finally been able to get on with the new picture. You will notice first of all that I am not having a sunburst as originally envisioned but I have changed my mind over the intervening days and decided instead to opt for a wan sun low in the Winter sky.  The important thing about this picture is to get across the muffled atmosphere of the snow-covered landscape, it has to look quiet, icy cold and somehow suspended in time. There will be no footprints in the snow for instance, it has to look deserted, forgotten. All today's work has been the acrylic underpainting, putting down colours that will sit under the snow so at the moment it looks a bit messy! The composition should start to come through when the snow is painted in. It reminds me of Caspar David Friedrich at the moment...no bad thing!