Stormy morning. Lutry. 7.07.2025. 13x26 cm

Stormy Morning, Lutry. 07.07.2025

This original plein-air oil painting was created in Lutry, Switzerland, on a stormy morning in July 2025 along the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Painted directly outdoors, the work captures the dramatic atmosphere that emerges when changing weather transforms the lake, the sky and the surrounding landscape into a scene of movement, tension and luminous contrasts.

Lutry is situated at the entrance of the Lavaux region, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape where vineyards descend toward the waters of Lac Léman. The village stands between lake, sky and mountains, making it especially sensitive to changing atmospheric conditions. Weather moving across the lake can alter the entire appearance of the landscape within minutes, transforming calm reflections into shifting surfaces of light and wind. (Lutry)

On this July morning, storm clouds gathered above the lake while bands of light continued to break through the moving atmosphere. The water reflected these rapid changes, alternating between darker tones and sudden luminous passages. The landscape seemed suspended between calm and disturbance, where every shift in weather created a new visual rhythm across the horizon.

Storms over Lac Léman often produce remarkable atmospheric effects. The interaction between the lake, surrounding mountains and changing air currents creates conditions where light, reflections and visibility transform with unusual speed. These moments reveal a more dynamic and unpredictable side of the landscape, far removed from the still image often associated with summer mornings on the lake. (Lavaux UNESCO)

Rather than focusing on a specific landmark, this painting explores the presence of weather itself. The storm becomes part of the landscape, shaping how space, colour and light are perceived. The work preserves the sensation of standing beside the lake while the atmosphere changes in real time, carrying both energy and uncertainty.

Created during a single plein-air painting session, this work records a fleeting encounter with summer weather on Lac Léman. The movement of clouds, the shifting reflections on the water and the tension between storm and light became the essential 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 place, season and atmosphere observed outdoors in nature.

Original plein-air oil painting by Olga Tacan.

Location: Lutry, Lavaux, Vaud, Switzerland
Subject: Stormy summer morning on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva)
Region: Lavaux UNESCO World Heritage landscape
Medium: Oil painting
Date painted: 7 July 2025

Oil on paper

Plain air painting

Size 13 cm x 26 cm

Size with passé-partout  32x36.5 cm 

Date: 7 July 2025

Location: Lutry, Switzerland