Painting of a man and his dog taking a stroll along a countryside path

This is a painting of a country path in a region called Hiji.

I have visited this region quite a few times and have found some very picturesque scenes here such as the one above.

And as I look at this painting, I find myself thinking that this is a very good painting and I am surprised that I almost binned it. 

All I can say is that I have over a 1000 paintings and it just becomes overwhelming so if I can bin a painting then I feel a little less like I’m drowning in my own creations.

So here is a short critique of this painting in which I talk about the many good points of this painting and a few of the bad points.

Firstly, I like the composition and in particular the curve of the path.

It is beautiful and interesting.

And it guides the viewer’s eye deeper into the painting.

Next, the shapes of objects, such as the trees, the figures and the house, are well done. 

I especially like the figure of the man with the dog as it really looks like he is moving.

Along with good shapes there is also some very nice expressive brushwork in the trees.

And the colors are also very good, especially in the foliage and the sky.

As I look at the sky, I like how dramatic it is with the sun behind a big gray cloud and I can see beautiful subtle touches of gray, blue and a very light gray as well as yellow in the sky. 

And I like how the distant mountain disappears into the clouds.

Finally, I like the flock of birds above the tree on the left which you sometimes get. 

It is a nice extra detail.

This painting fails in a few places though.

The walls of the house are too blue. 

I doubt it, but it could have been a blue house. 

But even if it was a blue house I think the blue needs to be toned down a little.

This painting also fails with the smoke. 

At the end of the path there is supposed to be smoke. 

I think that’s what I saw when I went there. 

But that smoke needs to be a lot whiter as it is difficult to see that it is smoke.

So I hope one day that I get the chance to paint this picture again as I’m sure I can improve upon the color of the house and the smoke.

However, I think that I will struggle to paint such an amazing sky.

All this painting needs now is a title. 

I was thinking of calling it: “Man and dog taking a stroll along a country path”.

What do you think? 

If you have any ideas for a good title then please let me know in the comments. 

I’d really appreciate it and if I like it then I will definitely use it.

That’s all,

Gareth.