"Smithsonian Castle" (oil on linen; 8" x 10")

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I have painted the Smithsonian Castle before, as you can see below.  The old painting from the last fall was also titled unimaginatively "Smithsonian Castle," I apologize. From the moment I finished it, I didn't like it, but didn't know what to do.  So I did another painting based on a different photo taken on the same beautiful autumn day. Of course, you cannot tell from the paintings whether it is spring, summer, or fall.  Hey, I was going for a timeless beauty!

Please tell me which painting is better.  I am voting for the new one.  I have a tendency of preferring new paintings to old ones, perhaps based on the delusion that I am improving by the day.  But this time I am hoping that everybody will agree with me.

The new painting is more painterly, reads better, and compositionally superior. The mock Gothic castle is in shadow, so it is dark.  Don't the sun-struck slivers in the clock tower sing?  I didn't really need all the foreground either.  Even without it, the castle in the new painting sits back, doesn't it?  I guess the morale of the story is: if a painting of your favorite subject doesn't turn out well the first time, do another and another until you nail it!

The old "Smithsonian Castle" (oil, 14" x 11")

"Bishop's Garden at Washington National Cathedral" (oil on canvas; 12" x 16") sold

sold

"Bishop's Garden at Washington National Cathedral," which I thought was finished, wasn't working and has been sitting in my studio.  Drawing wasn't bad, but it looked anemic, hesitant, and plain boring.  These days, my motto is more paint, more color.  So, I went to work to make it rich and alive.

There are three things going on in this rather complicated painting.  The octagonal stone gazebo, which leads to the famous Bishop's Garden; the garden in the middle ground; and the beautiful, Gothic-style National Cathedral.  Which is the focal point exactly?  I figured out that it had to be the gazebo, which I had downplayed in the original painting.  It can be glowing in the heat and show more texture of the stone and roof tiles.

How about the garden?  Why is it dissolving into the cathedral?  It should come forward.  What about the cathedral?  I know it's way in the back and should stay there, but it can have more punch.  Use thicker paint and more lively colors.

I did all of the above and am finally satisfied with the painting.  Now I can rest in peace.  Amen.

"Smithsonian Castle Rose Garden" (oil on canvas; 18" x 18")

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Reference photo

One spring day, I went to The Mall with my family and saw the rose garden at the eastern end of the Smithsonian Castle.  The air was so thick with the rose perfume that you couldn't have missed it while walking by.  I didn't, however, stop to take pictures because I had company.  So I went back a couple of days later, hoping that the heavy rain the day before didn't damage the flowers in full bloom.  I timed it carefully so that the garden would be basking in morning sun as you can see above.

So far, so good.  Painting the scene was not as easy.  It was tough to make the various components of the picture--the castle with a complicated mock medieval architecture, two big trees, garden, benches, etc--work together harmoniously without drawing too much attention to the castle.  I finally finished "Smithsonian Castle Rose Garden" yesterday.  I am going to enter it in The Art League's annual landscape show in two weeks.  We'll see how it goes.