I'm new to the forum and have been familiarising myself with the layout etc. I like the honesty in the forum and I think there are many helpful comments made with regard to the postings. There are so many aspects to landscape painting that are difficult to get to grips with but I have found the information on Oliver's site is a great start and I can relate to the idea that watching too many demonstration videos does little to enhance your own skill base...... so must practice more. This is a recent painting based on an area near me. I have omitted a lot of the foreground that was in my initial idea as it detracted from the sky which was quite incredible. I sketched the scene and took a couple of photos... difficult as the light was intense. From initial sketch to colour study, this is the finished painting (3rd attempt!) The landscape here is not as bucolic as the English countryside, but nevertheless dramatic and the evergreen trees and native bush will probably give me further challenges. The distant trees are macrocarpa, which I believe is also known as monterey cypress, a little like a scotch pine in its crazy growth pattern. I found the videos on skies and the process of deciding which area was to be an edge really helpful.