Last year, my painting partner and friend Susan had the idea to go wine tasting in Sanoma County while I was visiting Northern California. in the process, we drove through lots of wine country with vines covering the rolling California hills. When the sun came out, it illuminated the vines and cast amazing shadows. That’s what stopped me when I took the photo that inspired this painting.

When I decided to make a painting that reflected my time there, I started with the photo I had taken of the vines on a sunny day. It had some strong shapes and the composition was decent. Initially, I thought painting it would be pretty straightforward. Sometimes, paintings do come easily but this one did not. I found myself eliminating elements and then adding in others. The colors shifted innumerable times as I worked to differentiate and balance all those greens. Finally, it all came together and I came away from the experience with a renewed appreciation for not just the finished painting, but for the creative journey I took to get there.