Roadside Barn

First of all, constructive criticism is absolutely welcome here. I appreciate any cc/tips given and I thank you all in advance.
Well, I am about 3 weeks into my great Bob Ross adventure, and I have completed 3 more paintings, #4, 5, and 6 I ever painted. I chose S11e12 ‘Roadside Barn’ this time around. I used 16 X 20 canvas boards. This is the first time I have attempted just about every element in this painting: foliage, clouds, water, grass, bushes, barn …
As I am a complete beginner, I have decided that I will paint each painting I attempt 3 times, while my many mistakes, oops, I mean happy accidents are fresh in my mind. While learning, I am currently working with some 12 year old paints which have stiffened a bit. I have been re-softening them with oil medium and a bit of thinner as I use them.

Attempt #3 (lifetime painting #6): This one is the first painting I have completed where I feel like I made some good progress. Such a long way to go, but feeling I am on the right track. I think I got carried away with the colors in the trees and bushes and overdid it a bit (Ok, maybe overdid it a lot). I like the lake for sure in this one. I should have started everything a couple of inches higher on the canvas board as I seem to have gotten a bit crowded at the bottom of the painting. As you can see, the barn looks a whole lot better in this version. One thing I don’t like is the angle I have set the barn. I think #2 has the barn at an angle that is more appealing to the eye. I set aside the palette knife and used and ½” angled brush to paint the barn. I’ll need a bunch more practice with the palette knife before I use it for a building again. As a matter of fact, I am going to use a 16 X 20 canvas board and make nothing but palette knife barns on it for practice. I definitely need to work on the dark shadows. I think I progressed in this area, but I feel the painting still lacks the depth I would like to see.


All in all, I am not discouraged and actually excited to continue my Bob Ross journey. While deciding on my next painting, I will spend a day or so practicing barns on a practice canvas board and also a canvas full of mountains. I have made about 12 or so mountain peaks on practice boards the last few day and they are really really bad. So bad in fact that I will not even start a painting with a mountain in it until I can create a mountain that actually looks like a mountain. Getting the paint to break is very frustrating to me, but as they say, no pain, no gain. We’ll keep going till we get it right.
Thanks for reading through my lengthy post and feel free to add any comments that you feel will help me out and please be honest in your assessment. That is the only way I will get better. I have no illusions as to where I stand as a painter at the present time. I know I am way way down looking up at the light. We’ll just take it one ladder rung at a time 🙂 Happy painting everyone. Make someone smile today 🙂