Cows in the autumn fields, Grand Chamossaire, 26.08.2025. 13x24 cm

Cows in the Autumn Fields, Grand Chamossaire. 26.08.2025

This original plein-air oil painting was created near Grand Chamossaire in the Vaud Alps, Switzerland, at the end of summer as the mountain landscape began its transition toward autumn. Painted directly outdoors, the work captures the quiet openness of alpine fields where the expected presence of grazing cows has disappeared, leaving behind a landscape defined by space, light and atmosphere.

Grand Chamossaire rises above Villars-sur-Ollon and offers one of the most expansive panoramic viewpoints in the canton of Vaud, with views stretching across the Alps and toward Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). The surrounding mountain pastures are shaped by seasonal rhythms, where grazing animals, changing vegetation and shifting weather continuously transform the landscape. (alpesvaudoises.ch)

The title 0 Cows in the Autumn Fields introduces a subtle sense of absence. Alpine meadows are often associated with the presence of cattle, yet on this day the fields stood unexpectedly empty. Rather than depicting activity, the painting focuses on stillness. The open pastures, fading summer colours and approaching autumn atmosphere create a landscape where emptiness itself becomes the subject.

On this late August day, the first signs of seasonal change were already visible. The greens of summer had begun to soften, while the mountain air carried a clarity that often appears before autumn fully arrives. Light moved gently across the slopes, revealing textures of grass, distance and terrain without interruption.

Rather than presenting the alpine fields as a pastoral scene alone, the work explores the emotional character of unoccupied space. The absence of figures or animals allows greater attention to the atmosphere itself, where the landscape seems suspended between seasons and quietly aware of its own transformation.

Created during a single plein-air painting session, this work preserves a fleeting encounter with the changing rhythms of the Swiss Alps. The openness of the fields, the mountain light and the calm presence of the landscape became the essential elements of the composition.

This painting belongs to my ongoing series dedicated to the Alps, the canton of Vaud and the landscapes of Western Switzerland. Each work records a direct observation of place, season and atmosphere experienced outdoors in nature.

Original plein-air oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Grand Chamossaire, Villars-sur-Ollon, Vaud, Switzerland
Subject: Alpine autumn fields and mountain atmosphere
Region: Vaud Alps overlooking Lac Léman (Lake Geneva)
Medium: Oil painting
Date painted: 26 August 2025

Oil on paper

Plain air painting

Size 13 cm x 24 cm

Size with passé-partout  24 x 38 cm 

Date: 26 August 2025

Location: Roc D’Orsay, Vaud, Switzerland