I went to my studio today with a black and white version of a picture I took on the way home in June. This is the same farm I painted three times last winter. I decided I wanted to do it again with summer foliage. And there is a lot of it!  This painting has a completely different feel from the winter scene that I did. And it’s on UART, not the BFK Rives, so the look of it is quite different as well.  Working with B&W allowed me to create a red and green composition, that I often find very pleasing. I think it worked with this. One challenge was the lightness of the roofs and the dark underneath. I tried to soften the edges of the buildings on the left, to keep the eye going up to the right where the silos and barn (for me) are the focal point. The tree in the middle was a challenge as it splits the picture in two. I changed the shape of it, adding the dip in it, which I think makes it more interesting. Then I added bushes with pink flowers in front of it, which helps tie the two groupings of buildings together. I’ve just uploaded the original color photo, so you can see the difference!  I got brave (or foolish) and entered this and 4 other images to the Pastel 100. I fully expect to be rejected yet again!  But, it’s Doug Dawson, and one never knows!