I’ve painted this vineyard (Jewell Vineyard) on Sonoma Mountain about 10 times. This larger painting was made during the summer months while I was in the midst of moving to Santa Barbara. I knew I was leaving something special. Sonoma Mountain is a very spiritual place, and has a big space in my heart. The area where I lived is an Indian burial ground. For the four years that I was there, I felt “claimed” by the mountain. This is the last painting I was to do before leaving the mountain. It was painted in the heat of a summer day, July 29. The afternoon light turns the Mayacama Mountains a beautiful pinkish orange. The vines are bright green. The ground is parched golden from the heat. The air is pinkish yellow.