VW Bug

Orange Bug Blues, 30x30, oil on canvas

I totally reworked this painting recently. It has been "bugging" me since the last time I posted it. I am much happier with it now. It has much better flow. I am including the "original" photo below so I can explain the changes I made and what I was thinking. First I darkened all the trees in the background. That helped ground everything else. To create more contrast, I then lightened the sky just a tad. Next, I darkened the roof of the garage and created more movement in the cast shadows on the roof. Then the wall needed to come down in value as well, and I elaborated on the lighter layer of cast shadows that come from further away which creates more variety and interest. Keeping on the theme of bringing down the value, I went to the poles and the wooden fences. In the fence on the left, I went for less contrast and on the fence on the right, more contrast. I did not do too much to the bug itself except to soften some of the edges and to soften the cast shadow on the roof. The snow came last; People really liked the snow in the foreground so I hesitated to touch it but I did redo it all in the end. I kept some of the purple showing through but went more towards the blue. Blue and Orange being complimentary colors, that was my original attraction to this scene. Your Opinion?