RSW's Diary Comments

None.

Unnamed: Above the Winter Hills

This painting is very reminiscent of two similarly composed paintings made from Heath (MA) looking towards the Buckland Hills of Woodward's home. One is named, When Spring Comes where he specifically says in his painting diary comments, "Painted from halfway up the steep Burrington Hill in Heath, looking across the Deerfield valley to the Buckland Hills". The other is an unnamed and unsigned painting we have nicknamed Above the Winter Hills seen to the left that appears to be from a similar location in Heath as When Spring Comes. We used the Above the Winter Hills picture because it is a much nicer than our sepia print of When Spring Comes.

Topographic Map of possible vantage points
There are two seemingly suitable possibilities. The first
is Kately Hill Road and farther north is Geo. Lamb Rd.

We suspect that this is a similar vantage point from high up in Leyden, MA to the east of Heath. Unlike Heath, where Woodward would be facing southeast. This vantage point is facing southwest, late in the afternoon, with the glowing yellow of the sun shining through the cloud cover. The large hill just left of center in the painting could very well be Mt. Massaemet overlooking Shelburne proper and Shelburne Falls.

Another great example of how much Woodward loved his hometown hills.