Winter Bouquet

This is a larger format than I usually paint (30x24).  I have quite a few large canvases but haven't had the time to get something going.  By that I mean all that is involved, deciding what to paint, working on the composition and then taking the time to paint it.  I really had to think about it.  Which ended up being a very rich learning experience.  I knew the flowers would only last about a week so I got them into pretty good shape in the first week. (see below).  But I didn't like the composition, the brass cup was too far away from the vase.  I then added the apple in front of the brass cup.  This makes the composition come together better. I also needed to work on the values all over the place.  Rule of thumb, your lightest light in shadow should be darker than your darkest dark in light.  So I made some adjustments there.  I could probably still find some that need work if I look hard but this is good for now.  then I worked on the background, the last think I did was the foreground and the highlight on the apple.