*Winter mood: in the Léman's fog. 17.01.2026. 19.5x26 cm

Winter Mood in the Léman’s Fog. 17.01.2026

This original plein-air oil painting was created in Lutry, Switzerland, on a winter day when fog drifted across Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), transforming the landscape into a quiet world of softened light and disappearing distances. Painted directly outdoors, the work captures the atmosphere of the lake suspended between visibility and silence, where water, sky and mist seem to merge into a single presence.

Winter fog is one of the most characteristic and poetic conditions of Lac Léman. Along the shores of Lutry and the Lavaux region, mist often settles above the water during the colder months, altering familiar views and revealing the landscape through subtle layers of transparency and concealment. The lake becomes less a defined place and more an atmosphere in constant transformation. (Lausanne Tourisme - Official Website)

On this January day, the fog moved slowly above the water, dissolving the horizon and reducing the landscape to delicate transitions of tone and light. Reflections appeared and disappeared within the mist, while the surrounding world seemed to recede into stillness. Rather than focusing on landmarks or detail, the painting explores the emotional space created by winter weather: calm, introspection and the sensation of time slowing down.

Fog forms through subtle interactions between temperature, humidity and air movement, creating ever-changing visual conditions above lakes. These atmospheric shifts can transform within minutes, making direct observation essential to the plein-air process. (MeteoSwiss)

Created during a single outdoor painting session, this work preserves a fleeting encounter with the winter mood of Lac Léman. The softness of the fog, the muted light and the quiet rhythm of the lake became the central elements of the composition.

This painting belongs to my ongoing series dedicated to Lutry, Lavaux and the landscapes surrounding Lake Geneva. Each work records a direct experience of season, weather and atmosphere observed in nature.

Original plein-air oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Lutry, Lavaux, Vaud, Switzerland
Subject: Winter fog over Lac Léman (Lake Geneva)
Region: Lavaux UNESCO World Heritage landscape
Medium: Oil painting
Date painted: 17 January 2026

Oil on paper

Plain air painting

Size 19.5 x 26 cm

Size with passé partout: 38 x 46 cm

Date: 17 January 2026

Location: Lutry, Switzerland