vermont barn

this was painted from a friend's photo - i moved the adirondack chairs from the right to the left to create better balance -- I could use some suggestions on how to improve this - I feel i'm missing something, especially in the foreground..

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Comment by Lori Ippolito on September 16, 2015 at 3:50: Great advice Lawrence!! I woke up this morning thinking about that area on the lower left..it starts right at the corner..that has to be a compositional no-no!!... Also concerned about the lack of shadows..the source photo was taken on an overcast day..not my photo, so I have no 'life' memory of the place. The door is that big and off center! I ought it odd as well..I plan to try to make some adjustment to address those and the suggestion you've made. I appreciate your thoughts very much:))

Comment by Lawrence Easton on September 15, 2015 at 21:43: Hi Lori. First of all - nice painting.

Maybe all the foreground needs is to be broken up a little with some subtle broken brushwork and tonal shifts from dark(ish) to lighter as you go from foreground to background. And perhaps let the grasses on the left intrude onto the lawn here and there so it isn't a straight line.

I think the distant hills could do with having softer edges to push them back further.

Now the barn. Is the doorway really that big? It feels a little over-sized to me. And the centre of the doorway and the apex of the roof I feel should be in alignment. But I like the colours and shading and the lighting of the inside. Very nice.

The tree just in front of the barn looks like it is hard up against the wall. Maybe it really is? But I think if you extended the trunk down a bit it would help make it look like it is away from the barn just a bit and might feel more natural.

Hope that helps. But still a nice painting. It caught my attention straight away.