At the age of fifteen, R.W. Sturgess enrolled at the National Gallery School, where he was taught by artists including Frederick McCubbin and Bernard Hall. This watercolour was painted when he was only seventeen years old and halfway through his studies. The reclusive Sturgess painted atmospheric watercolours in subtle tones while sitting outdoors for hours on end in his favourite locations, including the Malmsbury district and his native Williamstown. Unfortunately, his career was short-lived: after a car accident in 1926 he struggled with his health and by 1930 his failing eyesight forced him to give up painting.