‘Winter can be beautiful’: Tom Lynch captures forest scene in Christmas painting for Daily Herald
Artist Tom Lynch's paintings of the holiday season have been a Christmas Day tradition for the Daily Herald for more than three decades.
It started when Lynch, then living in Arlington Heights, was commissioned to create an image for the company Christmas card. His work won over executives, and his annual creations began appearing on Page 1 every Dec. 25.
In this year’s submission, Lynch, now 73, depicts a peaceful winter scene with deer in the distance at the McDowell Forest Preserve in Naperville.
“This is a place where I have created other works of art, from other seasons, and this is where I had my first date with my wife,” he said, adding he likes to “capture the simple beauty of the season.”
“I like to show that winter can be beautiful, not just cold and disruptive,” he said.
Artists are paid for their vision and not just what they observe, Lynch added.
“My vision was for a clean, crisp contrast during winter,“ he said, “with a surprise or bonus for the viewer who looks closely at the background.”