Western Hills was originally painted and sold in 1938, but then returned to the artist in exchange for another painting. Sutherland reworked it in 1941 and remarked: 'though I still liked the composition, it lacked 'body' in certain places. These I attempted to repaint, and, becoming very interested and absorbed, I completely repainted the whole picture, producing something absolutely different.' Sutherland did not paint outdoors but instead painted the suggestive forms of his beloved Welsh landscape from memory in his studio. The vibrant colours and textured brushwork of this painting create a richly atmospheric scene.