I "watched" the rose painting last night--all evening-- and could see it wasn't quite right.So I made some adjustments again this afternoon, and think it may be close.

I like the larger dark area and did not like it when it was so pointed- as in the previous "fixes". I still have a ways to go as some more of the petals will have browning edges and I may yet change the shape of some of the other petals. I think it also needs more color and a little darker shadows, but we will see. I am not as gutsy as I should be.
    On another note. "Watching" my paintings, thinking about what they need or don't need takes time. Often beginning artists, family members, friends and collectors do not realize that this time contributes to the work and should not be discounted as "wool gathering" or " star gazing", or even being too lazy to work on the painting. The process of figuring out the next step is not only a learning situation, it is part of the process itself. An artist uses his past education, his ongoing education, an array of his  life experiences, his hours of practice, his color choices, and so on. Some of this is conscious thought, some is automatic response to  a learned  skill-- as in pushing in the clutch when driving a stick shift vehicle.  It has taken my years to do this painting because it took all those years to become this skillful. And if I had put in more time years ago, I would be much farther along!

Still considering the rose, and making changes. Put it in the living room for a couple of days so it was in my face each day, all day. Think I have tweaked it, but I will take my time and finish other areas that are not done, then reconsider how it looks in terms balance between the dark and light.

I have yet to enter any shows. That is one of my 2016 resolutions. My painting are never good enough, but I will enter them anyway as I feel I need that experience. If I keep in the back of my mind--that it may be entered in a show, then I will (I hope) be more conscious of my composition in terms of the Elements and Principles of design
        You will notice I capitalized  Elements and Principles. I feel they illustrate my weakest point and therefore need to be at the top of the list in importance. Whether this works or now remains to be seen. 
     Another resolution is painting more often. There are artists out there who religiously paint every day. Unfortunately I do not, and it costs me as I do not go forward as quickly as I should. I will need to take a couple of breaks at the end of January as fence building at the ranch beckons. The actual building is the easy part. Cutting through 6 foot high blackberry bushes  to find where the original fence was is another story. Hopefully the snakes will all be sleeping. Cougars, coyotes, skunks, and possums -and deer, may not be sleeping. On a good note, I will be taking several stretched quarter sheets and my plein air setup and may actually get in a couple of good paintings while there.
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         Each year I make the same old resolutions--lose weight and paint more. And, each year, for one reason or another, these go by the wayside as something else overrides their importance. This year again it is the dreaded "tax info" which I stuff into an envelope throughout the year, and finally sort it out in January each year. I always plan to attack it one day each month so it is not such a pain--but out of sight, out of mind.
    I am taking a break while I make copies, so decided to add to my neglected blog . I have been listening to myself ( somewhat) and working on a partially done painting that was pushed aside by a Christmas commission ( Sarge)(below) and is  getting long awaited attention

    This painting of an old rose was started during October 2015 Open Studios Tour, but never finished. It still has a way to go but had to add some dark background so I could get my bearings on the shape. There is much more detail to go and tweaking to the background, but it is back on it's way!

     It is unfathomable to me at times, but I have no trouble finding mistakes or things that could have been tweaked in other's work, but when it comes to my own, I often cannot see the obvious changes I should or could make! We will see how this all comes out with this painting. 
   I can see that on the computer the colors are beautiful and bright, but on the painting, they need more zip--especially the background.