Charles Comfort, Balsam presents a stark, wintry forest scene rendered with bold, economical mark-making. Dark balsam firs rise sharply against a pale, textured ground, their vertical silhouettes forming a dense wall of forest that presses in on the clearing below. In the foreground, cut logs are stacked irregularly along both sides of a snow-covered path, their rounded ends catching the light and creating a rhythmic contrast to the jagged trees behind.

At the centre-right sits a logging train —its hard, geometric shape and upright exhaust pipe emphasizing human presence within the wilderness. Fences and rough timber structures recede into the middle distance, guiding the eye toward the sloping hillside beyond. The overall composition balances human activity and natural growth, with Comfort’s vigorous charcoal handling lending the scene a sense of cold air, silence, and restrained movement typical of Canadian winter landscapes.