This piece was my first experimental use of large putty knives as a tool for applying paint. At the end of a painting day, I used all the paint left on my palette to apply large random shapes suggesting a rolling hillside and a deep-toned sky. The next morning, I trawled my photo box for a suitable nocturne scene and chose one taken one evening at the 2017 FCA plein-air event at the Flying U Ranch. The painting came together quickly as I worked sensitively to shape the abstract underpainting into an evocative scene.