Tulips might be best associated with spring, but they’ve just started to reappear on florists’ stands across Britain, bringing some colour and light to these dark months. David Alan Redpath Michie captured whatever appeared to be in season in his many still lives over the years, not just recording colours and textures, but also something of the mood of the time, in this instance, the cool stillness of the start of the year. Yet there’s also something in this painting that hints at the warmer months which lie ahead.

Image, thanks to Art UK and Hawick Museum