The Benefits Of Time

For me, with many paintings, I need time to live with a painting for a while so I can get rid of all preconceptions and start to see what is actually there not what I think is there. This image is an example. It is a couple of years old and I've liked much about it but it was always lacking. I recently took it down and did some extensive reworking. I feel that it has improved quite a bit. For example, where the far bank meets the river used to be a very straight line. I never realized how distracting that was and the painting is improved by a little variation in that line. Now, if I live with it a while longer I'll know if it needs anything else. This work began as a watercolour and now is primarily gouache.