Weather or Not Revisited
The Penguins
What could be more joyous than a colony of penguins playing on a snowy ledge?
This piece began with a palette of icy tones - cool sky blues, chalky whites, hints of sage, and the occasional navy mark. As always, I built up texture slowly, using layers of paint and texture paste to create the feeling of a frozen expanse: quiet, vast, and full of hidden life.
From the very beginning, I knew this painting would become more than paint alone. I wanted to evoke a sense of movement and depth - like watching something alive within a frozen stillness. It’s a revisitation of the story in my earlier piece Weather or Not, this time seen through a new lens, a new landscape.
The surface holds so much detail - scraped textures, brush marks, palette knife sweeps. Each one suggesting wind-blown snow, melting ice, or deep freeze cracks. These details give the background its own life, before the penguins even arrive.
I began forming the snowy ledge with modroc bandages, sculpting them as they flowed down the canvas in a natural, gravity-led way. I wanted the composition to echo the shape of a mountain pass or a glacier, trailing diagonally like a descent into a frozen ravine.
Once in place, I built the ledge up further with more textured paste, building it up, softening some parts, sharpening others. I painted it in layers of white with just enough variation to catch the light and shadow like fresh snow.
Gluey glossy white paint is applied to the ledge structure ready for the application of the fabric.
Texture is key to this piece—it’s tactile, layered, and invites closer inspection. I loved how the fabric dried into soft folds, like drifts of snow gathered by the wind. Some section still soft, like fresh snowfall, others icy hard.
At this stage, the scene felt complete as a landscape—but I knew the story wasn’t finished. It needed life. It needed a community. It needed penguins.
Placing each penguin and chick felt like arranging a tiny world. I thought about the dynamics: Who’s waddling with purpose? Who’s clinging to Mum? Who’s heading downhill without a care? Who’s playing hide and seek?
Each tiny figure is a character in their own right. Some climb, some pause, some chatter. The curve of the ledge became a stage, and suddenly, the whole scene buzzed with silent energy - quiet resilience in the cold.
This abstract landscape, paired with sculpted fabric and miniature figures, creates a visual story that’s both delicate and bold. The texture gives weight to the light. The fabric gives softness to the structure. The penguins give it soul.
