HELP! with WIP

[Mosquito]

I really love the background, I think it's perfect. Maybe you could do something with the tree in the foreground, so it would match better? At the moment it sticks out a little, like it was from another picture.
Whatever you do, I'm sure it will be really cool!

While I thought all the comments and suggestions were nice, I really like the sort of otherworldly feeling the piece has, partly because there's no evidence of life. It seems like a really quiet, peaceful place.
Just my opinion!

[GlassesFullOfStars]

I'd try texturizing it.... play with different techniques on a practice sheet of paper though.... for example, for the trees you could dip a crumpled up paper towel in a darker shade of the same green paint and dab it on the tree leaves, or you could play with repeating brush strokes for a more stylized look.... experiment with different way of creating texture and see if any reminds you of tree bark, or grass or whatever you'd like to highlight in your painting.

It's lovely so far!!

[meanderingartist]

I like it as it is, but if you need to add something I agree with the others about a critter. I was thinking a squirrel or maybe a dolphin in the water- or a bird flying in the distance.

[puppybreath]

if it were me... i would try putting a texture in the grass and the leaves. and mottle some more color in the leaves. they seem a little more one dimensional than the rest of the piece.

[Avian Flight]

It doesn't seem to have a focus. It seems like the big branch is supposed to be the focal point but at the same time, the background is distracting enough that it takes focus away from the branch. It seems to leave the viewer wondering what's the point of the painting.

p.s. the sky is beautiful

[oopsdang]

hi. humble painter here: )  i think if you added more detail you'd ruin the smooth feel of it. it feels like a sunset that would melt in your mouth... something soft and wavy, a cool breeze washing away a hot day.

But where did that hot day go?

I think the only thing wrong with this...because i  love the technique... is that there is too much cool.

i think if you added some more warm colors, perhaps in the sky... or the tree trunks, you'd rock it.

inspiring it is. : )

[mamakay]

Firstly, it's a very lovely painting--exceptionally peaceful.  But I do see what you and others have noticed about something missing.  How about a simple sailboat (catamaran?  I'm pretty sure that's not how you spell it but definately how it sounds) on the horizon in the gap between those two background trees...not a living creature but I like the idea of calm, peaceful, lazy days on the ocean it represents.  Just my (very humble) two cents. 

[Jatoha]

I like it very much as is.  It's a very peaceful feeling.  When I look at it, I think of an oasis.

If you really want to add something, I would suggest a small island in the water to the right of the left-most tree.  The rest of your painting seems to lead to eye to that open place in the water.  If you had a small rocky isle with a grassy top, it would give the feeling of that being the destination for the viewer of this painting.

[anchorbend]

I like the emptiness of the piece, but I agree that something very small might actually emphasize that emptiness. I really liked the idea about the picnic blanket (without the people), especially since the red and white checks would contrast strongly with all the blues and greens.

The other thing I'd suggest would be to develop the tree trunks a bit more. Someone suggested more texturing, which I think sounds good, but also maybe working on the spots where the trunks meet the ground. I love the distinctions you've made between the coast and the water, the water and the sky, and the trees and the sky, but this breaks down a bit where the trunks meet the ground. The trees end up looking a little bit like they were kind of "put on" the painting since they don't have any visible roots anchoring them to the ground. But perhaps you wanted that effect?

[MrsG_SoCal]

Thanks for all the input!! I've done a bit more work... Let me know what you think.