In March
1925, Morris and Lett withdrew their rental of a first-floor studio at 39 rue
Liancourt XIVE, Paris, and began an extended period of travel. They journeyed
through southern France and Belgium before returning to Britain, at which point
Morris travelled to Cornwall, where he spent the remainder of the summer
months. They were based there from 1919 to 1920, before departing for the
French capital. In November 1925, Morris travelled to the small coastal village
of Deià in the Serra de Tramuntana in northern Mallorca, where he most likely
spent the whole month before moving on to Algeria and Tunisia in December that
year. The town of Deià was a tranquil refuge for many bohemian expatriates
following the First World War, most notably the poet Robert Graves (1895–1985),
who would move there in 1926, a year after Morris visited.

The
idyllic sun-drenched town of Deià would have provided Morris with a wonderful
opportunity to explore a wealth of Mediterranean colours. The rich blue hues of
the coastal waters and the deep yellows, oranges and greens of the olive trees
and orange groves that adorn the rugged hillside are emphasised in this work to
great effect using a heavy impasto. Dabbing small notes of unblended colour
across the canvas surface in methodical rows, Morris struck upon a technique
that became highly individual to him. In the present work, this approach can be
seen with clarity.