In this atmospheric, wintry landscape we see a woman making her way round the last bend in the road before approaching the village of Moniaive on the other side of the river. It is a quiet, peaceful scene with only her solitary figure on the road. Paterson has created this atmospheric effect by restricting his palette to a few colours which appear at various points throughout the picture, thus creating an overall sense of balance. This is called tonal painting, and was much favoured by realist artists. The shape of the sloping hillside is echoed by the curve of the river and the verticals of the trees are balanced by the church steeple in the distance.