Morning Heat

This painting had been sitting on the wall for years.  I had reached a point in the painting where I was unable to take the painting where I wanted it to go.  There were problems that I was not ready to solve.  Instead of pushing through, I decided to wait till my skill improved enough to complete the painting.

I reset the foreground in shape and tone.  I then proceeded to the middle ground and ultimately the hills in the background.

Although the hills in the background were a big improvement from what they had been, I was not satisfied.  I was shooting for a deep feeling of atmospheric perspective.

I began building the value differences in the foreground and middle ground to set the stage for the background.

The atmospheric perspective in the hills improved and helped emphasize the foreground.  I think it would have been better if the shadows in the hills were more purply.  

The finished painting 12x24

The value shot feels good.  

 The detail shot lets you see the painting's abstract nature and the relationships within the painting.