Nocturnal Winter Landscape Oil Painting, Signed 'Peter Surace '87'

This large horizontal painting depicts a serene nocturnal winter scene featuring a rural homestead nestled in deep snow under a dark blue night sky. The artwork showcases a cluster of traditional red farm buildings alongside a light-colored house with glowing yellow windows that cast a warm light across the snow-covered ground and surrounding bare trees. In the bottom left corner, the canvas bears a handwritten signature and date appearing to read 'Peter Surace '87' (or similar, subject to physical verification). The owner notes this piece as being by a '1987 Vermont artist,' which aligns stylistically with New England regional realist landscapes, though this attribution remains unverified without physical inspection. The artwork appears to be an oil or acrylic on canvas, housed within a thin, light wood floating frame. The painting presents smoothly applied brushwork with careful attention to light and shadow contrast. The overall condition appears well-preserved with no major tears or paint loss visible in the photo, though minor frame wear or surface dust may be present.

Based on the image provided, I can observe a large horizontal nocturnal winter landscape rendered in oil or acrylic on canvas, housed in a thin wooden floating frame. The painting displays good contrast and light, depicting a rural homestead with glowing windows. In the lower left corner, it bears a signature consistent with 'Peter Surace '87'. Per user submission, this work is attributed to a 1987 Vermont artist. I must treat this attribution as a hypothesis; I cannot verify the artist's full record, the physical age of the canvas, or the legitimacy of the signature without a physical, in-person examination. From a photo alone, I cannot confirm whether the paint layer is stable, if there are hidden restorations, or if the signature was added later. The value estimate of $200–$400 is based on the assumption that this is an execution by a regional New England artist from the late 20th century, appealing to decorative buyers and collectors of regional landscapes. Works of this subject matter—cozy, nocturnal snow scenes—generally enjoy steady decorative demand. To confirm authenticity and potential higher market value, an in-person inspection by a specialist, along with documented provenance or exhibition history, would be required. Should physical inspection or research reveal this to be an amateur piece, an unverified copy, or a work merely 'in the style of' a regional artist without a recognized secondary market, the decorative resale value would likely adjust downward to the $50–$150 range.