Painting again

A few weeks ago my friend Bob Foster and I went out painting again. We found a spot that had a nice shaded road which is exactly the kind of place we like to paint. I find that contrast is the hardest thing to be sure and keep constant when painting. Bob pointed out an interesting thing about the shadows on the road and the hill to the right side. If the shadows on the yellow dirt of the road are blue why are the shadows on the green of the hill dark green. It's an interesting question and one of the many things I struggle with and also enjoy about plein air painting. I find that the time constraint requires that I make a decision even if it isn't right. On the other hand I am constantly improving my artistic eye simply because afterwards I can rethink those decisions and incorporate them into my next painting. I am finally beginning to get some reflective light in my paintings as can be seen in the tree to the far left (it's easier to see if you click on the image). All in all I feel it was a successful study and I would like to go out painting again soon.