Jour d’Automne: A Reflection on the Colors of Fall

There’s something about fall that invites contemplation. The crisp air, the muted sunlight, and the early setting of the sun all evoke a sense of time slipping by—a reminder of the cycle of life and nature's transient beauty. These feelings deeply inspired my latest painting, Jour d’Automne (Day of Autumn), created on one of those short, foggy fall days when the world feels both melancholic and mysterious.

Fall has always had a profound effect on my creative process. It’s not just the season of change but also a time of introspection. The days grow shorter, and the sun's warmth fades earlier, leaving behind cool evenings filled with mist and fog. On the day I created Jour d’Automne, the world outside my window was enveloped in fog. The usual vibrant landscape was muted, the trees and houses partially obscured as if the world itself was slowly disappearing into the background.
This fog, with its thick, ethereal presence, became an important part of the mood I wanted to capture in the painting. It not only symbolizes the veil that fall seems to cast over the landscape but also the internal fog of thoughts and emotions that often arises during this time of year. The fog suggests mystery and change, and I sought to evoke these feelings by using soft, blended brushstrokes in the composition. The painting has no clear foreground or background, just as fog allows for no clear distinctions in the real world. Everything merges together, both visually and emotionally.

The palette for Jour d’Automne was deliberately chosen to reflect the hues of fall. I’ve always been captivated by the range of colours that appear during this season—the warm reds, the golden yellows, the fading greens, and the soft browns. These colours find their way into the trees, the earth, and the skies, creating a mosaic of warmth despite the cooling temperatures. It’s as though nature puts on one last brilliant display before settling into the cold, barren months of winter.
In Jour d’Automne, I focused on these very colours. The bold strokes of red and gold represent the autumn leaves clinging to the trees, illuminated briefly by the sun before falling to the ground. The beige and pink tones, meanwhile, suggest the softer, more subdued elements of the countryside—perhaps the fading flowers or the light cast by a low-hanging sun. These warm hues create a comforting contrast against the cooler, foggier atmosphere I mentioned earlier.
However, fall is not only about vibrant colours. It’s also about the shadows—the long, creeping ones that stretch across the land as the sun sets earlier in the day. In the painting, you can see shadows taking shape in the blending of the colours, especially where darker reds and golds meet the softer tones. These shadows add depth to the piece, reminding viewers that fall is as much about darkness as it is about light.

The painting is abstract, which opens the door for interpretation. The horizontal brushstrokes blend and bleed into one another, creating a sense of motion and fluidity. There’s no defined subject, but that’s intentional. I wanted to leave room for the viewer to find their own connection to the piece.
For me, these brushstrokes represent the movement of fall—the swirling wind carrying leaves from the trees, the constant shifting of light as clouds pass in front of the sun, and the feeling of time moving forward, relentless yet gentle. The blending of colours suggests that nothing in fall is static; it’s a season of transition, where one moment flows into the next, often unnoticed.
Yet, within this movement, there’s also a strange sense of stillness. The background of the painting, though difficult to define, feels like a blank canvas onto which the season projects itself. It’s a strange, almost surreal landscape—part real, part imagined. This "strange background" represents the unpredictability of nature and life. There are days in fall when the landscape seems almost dreamlike, suspended in time, as if it’s waiting for something to happen. The indistinct background of Jour d’Automne captures this sensation, allowing the viewer to drift into their own memories of foggy autumn days.

My connection to nature has always been a driving force behind my art. There’s something undeniably powerful about the cycles of the seasons, particularly fall. The landscape transforms daily, and with each change, it offers new inspiration. The trees shedding their leaves, the ground becoming harder, the days growing shorter—these elements speak to a larger truth about impermanence and change.
In Jour d’Automne, I’ve attempted to capture not just the physical aspects of fall but also the emotional landscape it brings forth. The warm, vibrant colours offer comfort, while the shadows and strange background suggest the unknown—the parts of life we can’t fully control or predict.

As you look at Jour d’Automne, I invite you to reflect on your own experiences with fall. What emotions does this season stir in you? Is it the warmth of the colours, the nostalgia for summers past, or the anticipation of the colder months ahead? Does the foggy, abstract quality of the painting remind you of the moments when the world feels like it’s standing still?
Art, for me, is about more than just creating an image—it’s about capturing a feeling, a fleeting moment, and offering it to others to experience in their own way. I hope this painting, with its warm palette and abstract movement, serves as a reminder of the beauty that exists in change and the quiet reflections that fall encourages.