​I think every artist is at times obligated to do something in grey or black. There is a fundamental element to it that suggests contemplation. At the time I painted these, we were having a heat spell in Los Angeles, with tempertures in the high 90s.  The paintings reminded me of the foggy misty winters in Europe, looking far into the landscapes, even though that was not my intention. Perhaps that was my idea of cooling off ? It appears grey zones are exactly that. I used black, white and raw umber to do these oil on canvases. Again, they are all 20 x 24 inches and belong to the "dozen painting series". I call them " a dozen grey zones"