In the painting, there is a valley. It is in relationship to surrounding terrain
the way the Napa Valley is set between route 29 and the Silverado trail,
with high hills on each side. But this is a darker valley. With layers of paint --
a little thicker than the way I usually work -- the idea is conveyed that
the mountains are high and formidable. What the Native said to John
Fremont: "Rock upon rock, rock upon rock; snow upon snow,
snow upon snow."
How slowly the mountains took shape. Usually my women dominate the
landscape, but this time I had been working for many days before I
started to put the woman in. I remember that I only began to
visualize her after the hills became dark green. First I painted
them light green, and then dark blue and finally a deep black green.