Artist/Gallery notes
Just outside Perth in Western Australia, the swan river passes through a broad valley. Western Australia is one of the great wine producing areas of the world. With a climate similar to Southern California it produces a wide variety of international award winning wines. One of the main wine growing areas is this valley, the Swan Valley. I have painted scenes of the valley many times and I love the patterns of the vineyards against a background of the hills of the Darling Ranges (where I live). On a summer's evening it is hot and still and the air is filled with the gold of the setting sun. This was one of those difficult paintings born of struggle. I had to work hard to make it work. Very often these are the best paintings as they often gain in complexity and mood during the endless process of revision. In the end you should be able to feel that place and the time that I was there.