Pergola at Long Hill (Oil Bar Painting as of October 11, 2022)

Here is my latest oil bar painting as it looked on October 11th.  The day before, this painting had been sideways in the ease while I painted the sides of the canvas. Once the paint dried enough,  I turned the painting right-side-up, and I knew it was time to modify the composition.  I was planning to add more foliage to the area around the pergola.  (Although it wasn't obvious in my reference photo, the path to the pergola is lined with azalea bushes.) Since I was going to add more detail in that area, I wanted to simplify the rest.  I extended the shape of the pink tree behind the pergola. (This is a departure from the reference photo.)  Then I eliminated a row of dark green overhanging leaves at the top of the canvas. This immediately simplified the background on the upper left side and made the trees in the background look taller.  I wanted some light to show through the trees, but limited that to two small areas that would suggest  a nice diagonal line between them. This is also different from the reference photo.  But when I paint from a photo reference, there almost always comes a point when what is on the canvas becomes more important than what is in the photo.  I knew there was more to do, but I felt like I was on the right track.