This is an original pastel work by David Coates.
A hush settles over the scene — a wide winter plain stretched toward a low horizon, snow laid down in generous, undisturbed swaths. The foreground is a soft, pale expanse punctuated by the dark, slender trunks of a few leafless trees whose thin branches scrawl upward like ink lines. Their stark verticals give scale and rhythm to the composition and lead the eye inward toward the center.
A shallow stream or melt channel cuts a sinuous, dark path through the snow, its glassy surface catching the last of the light and providing a reflective counterpoint to the white. Beyond it, low rolling hills rise gently and are washed with bluish, lavender shadows — the cool aftermath of daylight retreating. The snow there reads less flat and more textured, hinted with subtle blues and purples that suggest both depth and chill.
Dominating the palette is the sky: a brilliant, molten band of sunset that explodes in the center with raw oranges and yellows. Those luminous colors bleed outward into bruised purples and deep grays as thick, sculpted clouds sweep across the upper portion of the canvas. The contrast between the incandescent horizon and the heavy, stormy clouds creates a dramatic tension — as if warmth were striving through a bank of gathered weather.
Overall the painting feels both quiet and charged. The landscape is tranquil and empty of human presence, yet the sky's energy and the delicate reflections in the snow suggest a moment of transition — day giving way to night, warmth struggling with cold. The brushwork and color choices convey a tactile, almost wind-whipped atmosphere that invites you to stand there a while and feel the air tighten as the sun sinks.
This work is 24" tall by 48" wide. It is mounted on a wooden panel and is unframed.
This piece is part of the temporary exhibit "Starry Eyed" come and see it in person through the months of February and March 2026.