Bray

Well, I'd started this one back in October, with every intention of finishing it within a couple of weeks. There were issues with my composition, so no amount of adding darks was going to solve that. What was my focal point? The sky? The red pipe? The stairs leading up the rocks on the left? This is a fundamental decision that I need to make before I get started. And also, the orange rocks in the middle ground were always going to be a problem: such a bright colour is pulling the eye in too much. Mmm. I might actually try to tone them down. That might help. 

The main issue, apart from composition, that I need to resolve in my head for all my paintings is about the sky vs the landscape. I love painting skies so much that they tend to dominate my paintings. So do I simplify everything else, and just make sky paintings or do I try to balance all the elements better? Too many choices is my big problem. Funny, actually, as I'm quite a decisive person in life. If I go into a shop, for instance, and I try on clothes, I make an instant decision. But when it comes to painting, I'm like a kid in a candy store - I simply want it all!! I know exactly the book I need to go back to to work on this! Powerful Watercolour Landscapes, by Catherine Gill!

This is never going to be a perfect painting. And yet, I quite like it at the same time. But then again, I'm still stuck on the sofa, coughing and shivering, so my judgment is impaired!!