Woodbridge Art Exhibition ‘Christmas Present’

17 November 2022

Breaking The Ice, Christmas Eve is a scene I witnessed 2 years ago on a very long cold dog walk. On a remote lane a mile from home, cold biting my cheeks, a loud scraping metal sound whose source I couldn’t determine dipped in & out of earshot. I knew whatever it was must be near but just couldn’t make it out. That is until I trudged to the highest point for miles and there a field away the noisy culprit came into view, shattering the otherwise quiet landscape with its clanking plough,a tractor going up & down the field over the rock hard ground, breaking the ice.

My first thought was for the poor farmer having to work on such a cold Sunday afternoon, then soon remembered he was probably all toasty in his cab oblivious to the cold. My dogs disgruntled faces told me they had had enough of being out in -3° & I had too!

So I did a quick sketch before setting off home. It wasn’t until I began drawing the horizon line I realised the trees I have painted many times at Hagmore Green just beyond Boxford were way off in the distance but just visible in my composition, a source of comfort on that freezing afternoon.