Through the trees this winter

[By Shari Blaukopf in Montreal, Canada] It’s been a strange winter in Montreal. Periods of snow followed by bouts of rain and unusually high temperatures. Unlike the eastern USA, we’ve had no real snowstorms to brag about. Mostly just icy sidewalks and grey days. But one thing has remained constant — trees just keep appearing in my sketches. I didn’t realize it was a pattern until I looked back at my work today and there they were, mostly oaks and maples, painted from my car, painted from my window, and even drawn in coloured pencil while standing in the woods during a winter heat wave.