Can't see the wood for the trees

Trees at Sawrey (work in progress)

Part of my current malaise, I think, is due to a general dissatisfaction with what I'm doing. Or at least, a failure to perceive the direction it's actually going in. It's not so much that I don't like what I've been doing -- I do, and will be happy to show it anywhere -- but that I'm unsure what it is that I like about it and how I should build on that.

I decided to get myself to the Club today, but didn't feel like working on the two pictures I have there, so took along an old 24 inch canvas I knew was never going to amount to anything. Over the old painting I started this one of some trees I found at Sawrey last year. It was fun working over the very textured old paint layers, and I let myself go with a vermilion red as a substitute for the greens that should have been there. However, I think I'm going to have to tame the colours somewhat - I'm working out of my comfort zone here and will need to curb the exuberance before I'll be satisfied with it.