New oil painting "Approaching"

Approaching
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
30" x 40"
2013

Finished at last! I've been posting progress on this painting for a couple of weeks.  Like a lot of paintings, I was really excited and happy with the beginning stages, then I hit an impass where I nearly decided to scrap the whole thing and paint over it, abut I finally found my groove again a few days ago and managed to finish strong.  After managing to capture the yellow and pink glow of the lighter clouds in the background and adding some brighter foliage to the tree line, the storm clouds up front just didn't seem foreboding enough.  I also didn't like the transition from the dark masses to the lighter surrounding areas, and overall I wanted more texture and energy.  I repainted the light rain at the bottom right, then went after the rain clouds.  Adding a bit of deep purple and grayish hues and letting myself play with the thicker impasto paint, painting, scraping away, and repainting the areas, seemed to give it the vitality I was hoping for.  Overall I'm pretty pleased with the painting.  I'd love to hear your thoughts about it too! Now it's time to tackle some of the canvases I have drawn and toned from Bolivar Flats Beach.