The Mill in Winter 1921

Edward Willis Redfield made this painting, *The Mill in Winter*, using oil on canvas, and it's a dance of cool blues and grays punctuated by that ochre mill. I can almost feel Redfield layering those strokes, building up the snow and the cold, wet air. I imagine him standing there, easel and brushes in hand, trying to capture that fleeting winter light. Was he shivering? Probably! What was he thinking as he mixed those muted tones, trying to catch that perfect reflection in the water? Look at the way he applied the paint so thickly, you can feel the texture of the snow, the dampness of the air. That single dark stroke suggesting a bare branch is everything! It reminds me of other landscape painters like Courbet, who also wrestled with nature's raw beauty. Painters are constantly riffing off each other, borrowing, stealing, and transforming ideas across time. Ultimately, painting is about feeling, and Redfield’s winter scene embodies that. There’s no right or wrong way to interpret it. It’s an invitation to feel the cold, the stillness, and the quiet beauty of a winter's day.