Art 101

Five Frosty Artworks to Get You Feeling Festive

Winter is approaching. Time to wrap up, eat loads and enjoy the festivities. Our curators have selected five frosty artworks to get you in the mood.

By Rise Art

December is upon us, which means it’s time to don your favourite polar necks and get those skates on. We’ve chosen five frosty artworks to get you in the mood for the winter ahead.

1. Cabin in the Snow by Daisy Clarke

Daisy’s painting has a fairytale feel, with its snow-capped mountain and expansive, tree-lined lake. But it’s a scene laced with something a tad sinister. A heavy darkness lurks in the forest of pines and beneath the water’s glossy surface.

Cabin in the Snow by Daisy Clarke

2. Until You Wake Up by Martin Stranka

Dreams and reality blur in Martin’s blizzard scene. While the overturned car suggests a tragedy, there’s something more to this piece than that narrative. The natural world closes in on the human presence suggested by the car, and a quiet serenity dominates.

Until You Wake Up by Martin Stranka

3. Stranger Than Paradise by Fintan Whelan

Fintan’s glittering, icy swirls look cold to the touch. His palette of blues, greys and whites, combined with his fluid forms, conjure thoughts of frozen lakes and arctic waters. Fintan’s abstract is alive with wintry feeling.

Stranger Than Paradise by Fintan Whelan

4. White Swan by Ellie Vandoorne

Ellie’s homage to Swan Lake has a chilliness and a purity to it that reminds us of snowy expanses and frosty forests. It also makes us think of Tchaikovsky’s other great ballet, his Christmassy Nutcracker. We can almost hear the Waltz of the Snowflakes.

White Swan by Ellie Vandoorne

5. Wonder by Nadia Day

Nadia’s seascape makes us want to throw on our scarves and gloves. Her textures pull us into the scene, where the cold spray of the sea is almost tactile. But there’s a lovey familial warmth in the figure of the father and child that combats the cold, bleak scene.

Wonder by Nadia Day

WHAT ELSE IS CRACKING?

Last week, Rise Art Prize submissions closed with over 2,300 entries. Our regional judges are reviewing the shortlisted artists and we’ll be announcing the finalists next week. We're also thrilled to announce that photographer David Bailey (OBE) and painter Antony Micallef have joined our panel of esteemed judges.

Our artists are busy, busy, busy. Here’s what they’ve been up to...

Camilla Dowse has won one of the 3 title prizes at The ING Discerning Eye exhibition at The Mall Galleries, London. She received The Discerning Eye Chairman's Purchase Prize for her painting, Sussex Place W2 (below).