Another correction!

Here are the latest changes I have made to the painting I have been working on! I knew there was very definitely something I did not like about the painting. The pasture and foreground just did not jive with the rest of the painting. Or maybe the trees did not go with the pasture. But . . . I did not think the pasture went with the background trees. At this point, I wanted the beautiful colors of the background and the sky to be more the point of interest than the pasture and the trees.

I tried changing the pasture to more a reflection of the sky blue color. I have always told my students that the sky determines many of the colors you choose. Reflected colors from the sky will usually show up on the flat planes of the ground or the top of anything such as a barn roof, tips of leaves facing the sky, etc. But, when I put the colors in, I was not pleased. So, I even changed it to a more pinkish color, then to a more peachy color. But none of these seemed to please me. I also decided I wanted to play down the little roadway. It was demanding too much interest.

I think I brushed off the bottom half of the painting at least three times in about one hour. I have a load of pastel dust in a dish now to create a neutral stick of pastel!

I then decided maybe the pasture needed to be a more neutral color so as to not compete with the background and the sky. So, I used a somewhat cool green in a light value for the middle pasture. Then I decided to make more interesting marks in the foreground before it rolls over the hill to the middle  pasture. Now I am starting to like the look. Then I decided to add more blues back into the pasture.

So . . . here are the latest "corrections" I have made. Who knows if I will still be pleased tomorrow when I go down to the studio. I think distancing of at least one day or more lets me look at it with "new" eyes. The left photo is the older version and the right one is the latest.

Oh, after loading the older version and the new one -- side-by-side -- I forgot, I did change the foreground tree! I decided it needed more interest in the shape. Also that helped me to create a little bush beside it. And I got rid of the gradation of color where the light is highlighting the edge. I am not sure the tree is correct at this point. But, I do like it better! Looking at it here, I can tell the little color and value change on the left corner where the pathway starts is still not a good shape. So . . . look for it to change also. It's getting there! And, I am always interested in any comments.