Ice Puddles

A hush settles over this frozen scene by Tony Allain, where the day's final glow bleeds across a stretch of ice. Painted in 2010 and titled "Ice Puddles," the work catches that fleeting moment when the sun has nearly gone but the sky still burns with pink and violet. Those same colors pool in the melted patches below, mirroring the soft light above, while a row of bare trees stands dark against the horizon. The mood feels frosty and cozy in the same breath, a strange mix that gives the picture its pull.

Allain builds his images with thick, sure brushstrokes that hint at things rather than spell them out. Dashes and blocks of color stand in for ice, water, and scrubby brush, letting your eye do some of the work of piecing the scene together. Born in the Channel Islands and later settled in Canada, he has picked up honors from pastel societies across the globe for exactly this kind of atmospheric painting. Spend a little time with those deep purples and they seem to shimmer and shift, glowing warmer the longer you stay.