I have a stash of sketches and paintings that I think I would like to do again, hopefully with improvement. So I thought...why don't I present a few to the forum at times to help me see what I've done, good or ill, with fresh eyes before I attempt them again.

I know this approach will be of benefit to me, but I thought that perhaps more practice in looking at and evaluating what someone else has done-- or not-- might help give some of you some practice in developing a bit of insight into your own decision-making as you approach a painting, if you are game! 😊

So this first one is somewhere in County Clare, Ireland, near Lisdoonvarna. The perspective that I painted from was sort of down an incline which placed me looking up at the gate, as you can see in my painting compared to the photograph I took when I first got there. While I was setting up to paint, a storm began to gather in the distance, as it is prone to do in Ireland, but it didn't reach me until a few drops fell as I was gathering up my things after I finished to run back to my car. Ireland, as you may know, is one of those places that if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes!

It's painted on a 12x16 Arches 140# CP block. Sorry, but the photos are a little bit blurry!

Perhaps you prefer the positioning in the photo rather than the incline I was painting up from? What do you think? What would you do differently?

Thanks for any help you can give 😊