Close to Home, Winter Solstice at Talley

I live in such a beautiful area. It is astounding how much variation is in the landscape near my home. That's why I decided to start calling these pieces "Close to Home" with the name.

The day before Winter Solstice, when the light and wind were great for painting plein air, I was just a few miles from home at Talley Vineyards. There is a wonderful range of mountains/hills behind the vineyard that I went to paint, but oh my gosh, the scene just south of that really caught my attention. The tall dark blue distant hills kissed with sun, and the Sycamores along Arroyo Grande Creek glowing in the morning sun.