More Progress on Currituck Sound

Untitled, 24x30 oil on canvas

      I am so glad I put this painting in the closet for a few days.  It wasn't working but there was enough worth saving that I didn't want to give up on it.  It always helps to see with fresh eyes.  I knew it was the sky that was bothering me and when I took the painting out of the closet the first thought I had was, Bleh!  The sky is terrible BUT it sure has potential as an underpainting. 

      I have shown you this painting in stages from the original underpainting to the point at which I put it in the closet.  You can scroll down to see the various incarnations.  What I like at this point is that the surface of the painting is now consistent and rich.  The color is much improved and I have reached the fun point where I am finishing the foreground and doing some overall fine tuning.  I am toying with the idea of putting a cloud formation more in the foreground but I will work out that idea with pastels on a photo print out. 
     So, this painting really had two underpaintings and two starts. The original, ochre, burnt sienna underpainting which I painted over wet on wet.  Then off to the closet and the dry painting with the first sky was painted over leaving some of the blue/green and yellow/orange showing through which gives the sky more depth.  The original, stronger colors of the sky were softened and the surface enriched.  Now I feel I have something.  There is no title as yet but I am working on it.