Mountain scenery

Aspden spent much of 1971–72 abroad, first in South America and later in Europe with his family. The light and landscapes of Brazil, southern France and England had a profound influence on his work, which moved from the bright and clearly delineated shapes of his Brazil paintings to more dense, mottled expanses of muted colour and tone, dappled with surface splashes of bright colour. As Aspden explained it:

'The whole shaping system and forms which I had before were still there; but I think the experience of being in Europe and especially in England, softened that up considerably.'

Although this work was painted in 1973, Aspden titled it in the 1990s. Having recently spent time at Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands and Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, the title reflects his tendency to be engrossed in whatever environment he found himself, and how he subsequently interpreted his work.