30 Day Challenge - Day 26 - Auberge du Tresor WIP

Yes, this picture is coming along and while it is pretty complete there is still a lot of work to do.  I think many times I start to get anxious for the picture to be over at this point and stop at what I now realize is before completion.  However, to get a more finished end result there is still a long way to go just doing the small tweaks now.  One of the things that I am going to have to be sure is that I don't overwork the details here at the end.   While this picture tends more to the realistic side I still want to keep it looser.
I went out and googled horse and buggies so I could find a better shot with a bit more details rather than just leave the dark blob that my photo shows.  I also googled Auberge du Tresor and got winter snow shots -- hmmm, might be another picture!
I was watching a video by Will Kemp (one of my current favorites) and he talks about how at this stage of the painting he goes back and forth between working in color and thinking in black and white to be sure the values are balanced in the picture and stay part of the end result.  So I am pretty sure that once I get this a bit more put together I will convert the picture to black and white, put them side-by-side, and then make sure I have the darks and lights and pops of color that are sprinkled throughout.  I want to really see the notan effects as well to be sure that the darks connect and there is a pathway for the eye through the picture.
I am a bit concerned about the bottom left corner which seems empty to me and I am afraid the eye wants to leave instead of being pulled in.  Also when I put in the tree it will make the right side even heavier.  There was a garbage can and some people there a bit further to the left that my artistic license took out so you could get a better shot at the cafe.  I was toying with adding a potted plant but nixed that as I am concerned it will be too crowded into the corner and look isolated.  My other thought option is to add some dappled light on the street/sidewalk and have it move diagonally to the horse.  We'll see after I study it a bit and get the tree in.
Thanks much for stopping by and have a great week.