Foothill Vines 5

This is yet another in a series of paintings I've done of a glorious little scene G and I came across on a drive around the foothills of Carpinteria. I can't get enough of the ever-changing vines and the cluster of mismatched trees, the majestic mountains and the sun-drenched sky. Speaking of sky, I had almost finished this painting but for some reason I hadn't yet started the sky. Anyway, G and I were on the terrace the other day when I finally took up my brush and started to paint a blue and violet sky as in the previous paintings, the bold slashes of paint designed to echo the brushstrokes of the mountains, but it just didn't feel right. So I put down my brush and glanced across the terrace towards G and all of a sudden I noticed that the sky behind him had taken on the most incredible blazing light and was alive with streaks of pinks and oranges, and in that instant I knew exactly what the sky wanted to be. What a wonderful revelation and what an absolute joy it was to paint!