I got a great reference photo of an afternoon showshoe excursion in a field near our house last January.  I painted EXACTLY what was in the photo.  Something just wasn’t right.

I figured that the two trees in the distance weren’t adding anything to the composition and in fact, were detracting from the path of the snowshoe tracks, which is what this painting is all about.  I fixed it by washing out the two trees and continuing the dark green foliage.

I think I helped achieve the objective of the painting.  What do you think?

Lessons Learned:

• Rarely is it too late to make a painting better – yes, even a watercolor painting.
• Even if you haven’t painted a masterpiece or if the painting ends up looking overworked, you learn a lot by making corrections.  Eventually you will do it right the first time, thanks to these valuable lessons learned.
• Less is more.  Don’t distract viewers by adding unnecessary features that only draw attention away from what you want them to look at.