David Drum’s Autumn, Niagara Wetlands captures the dense, tangled energy of a Niagara woodland at the height of the fall season. Brilliant yellows, oranges, reds and greens surge across the surface, broken by slender tree trunks and sweeping branches that create a lively network of movement throughout the composition.

Rather than describing the landscape in precise detail, Drum builds the scene through vigorous brushwork, layered colour and expressive, almost calligraphic marks. The pale blue and white passages in the upper portion open the composition and suggest cool autumn light filtering through the canopy, while the darker greens and browns near the forest floor give the painting depth and weight.

The result is both recognizable and highly abstracted, conveying the sensation of standing within an overgrown wetland rather than presenting a conventional view of it. Its energetic surface, rich colour and interwoven forms celebrate the complexity and abundance of the Niagara landscape in autumn.