Better Left Alone

Marji's Tree, watercolor 7"x10" 

When will I ever really learn that sometimes watercolor is better left alone? I had a good thing going here, or at least good enough. Everything was rendered in that impressionistic, loose style that I am always seeking. 

But then I proceeded to kill the maple with kindness by adding extra layers of reds and oranges that ultimately took over in their heaviness. On the other hand, the bare tree trunks on the right (cottonwood?) and the snaggle of green bushes below, I was still pretty happy with. 

So I cropped the photo to take the emphasis off the maple and shift it to the cottonwood trunks (see below). That doesn't really save the painting, but I'll still put it into the mail for my friend Marji, who had shared the photo I was painting from.

And maybe next time I'll remember to leave it alone for a bit before I decide whether to keep going. 

Marji's Trees, 5.5" x 8" watercolor