Something to Ponder

I had a comment from a coworker on the Alley in Spring that has had me thinking. (I take paintings to work to see them with fresh eyes.) Her comment was that she wanted to like the painting but she just could not get past the dumpster that is front and center. These alley paintings are a reflection of the soul to me. I equate the alley to the inner person. We have so much garbage we carry around, and lots of tidying up we should do, and will do, tomorrow. Yet there is light and hope, and joy as well. To me the dumpster is overshadowed by the happy little dog (joy) and the burst of spring in the new green trees (growth) and the blossoms in all their glory (hope). There is no 'light" in this particular piece, as it is a gray, rainy day; called "local tone," meaning that the local color of the subject is what is shown, ie not influenced by light or shadow.
This photo was taken after I did the fixes that Kevin suggested; ie lighten the sky. He said I then might not have to darken the tree, but I did that as well, but not by much. I also lightened the white garage doors to the left of Pearl and darkened patches of the foreground alley surface to tie more into the dumpster.