“Steep Hills” painting

“Steep Hills”, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 12×9″

When I lived in New England I painted the lush woods, the trees, and particularly the grassy fields, shadows crossing them in the late afternoon. Now that I’m in California, I am endlessly fascinated by the hills.

Here in Los Angeles, a city best known for sprawl and smog, what really strikes me as I travel about is the hills. They’re everywhere! The entire greater Los Angeles area is carved up into multiple valleys, all surrounded by the ubiquitous hills. The urban sprawl pools in the valleys, lapping at the feet of the hills. Belonging to conservancies and state parks, the majestic hills remain safely out of reach of developers.

I hope that my fascination with the hills will rub off on some of the more jaded residents here. It’s so easy to take them for granted and barely give them a second glance as we sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the freeway. On a clear day, with the sun low on the horizon, the hills can be simply glorious. Look up!

This painting is sold, but many more can be seen at: www.barbarajcarter.com