Disappointing Finish to my Painting

Well... about a month ago I decided to give myself a challenge and paint from a photograph of the Golf Club we lived at in Italy.  I thought the photograph reminded me of a scene that the artist Albert Bierstadt would paint.  I was considering entering a show with the AWA and then I just didn't feel good about my finished piece.  I didn't enter this because it is not good.  I overworked the trees and sand and eventually I just felt like it got muddy.

I know I told you in a previous post that I was going to attempt this, and I did.  Let me tell you I have not painted many misty landscapes and I have never painted snow, so the process of attempting this taught me a lot.  It's not what I had envisioned but I will not make the same mistakes again that is for sure.  I think I learned a lot from forcing myself out of my comfort zone.

I am hoping in the coming week I will learn more about creating atmosphere when your photo does not reflect it.  I will be in Santa Fe at the Plein Air Convention.  Many well established artists will be there and I should come home refreshed and ready to attempt this scene again.  I have to tell you, it was very difficult for me, I overthought everything.  There is no light in my photograph and getting a sense of atmosphere was hard.  This is what I am hoping to learn from painting outside more because a photograph just cannot capture what our eyes can see.

Here it is, even if I am unhappy with it, I promised to post it anyway.

Happy Monday Everyone!  I'm off to learn new things, it's the only way I can grow.  If I don't post for a while it's because I'm off absorbing everything I can at the Convention from anyone who will teach me : ).
Bexx