getting back to watercolour painting

Well ,I have done well! Starting to paint again after what seems soooo long. It's just like beginning afresh. After the watercolour skies workshop with my art group I have been worrying that I am finding it so difficult to paint what I consider a "good" picture. I am basically a landscape artist, although I have dabbled in all subjects, and this is what I want to be able to do again. I seem to have lost the knack of utilising the learned rules which help to make a painting interesting.

Here are three I finished last week, the first two are terrible and show just how much I have lost out by all this collaging. the third is passable and actually gave me a glimmer of renewed hope.

Untitled: still trying to get a decent sky, looks like a real beginners work. Not quite sure what is supposed to be happening in the foreground.

Untitled again. There are some things about this one which I actually quite like. BUT again what on earth is happening in the centre foreground? My only excuse is that I was still trying to paint skies and was not concentrating on the rest of the picture.

Now this one I am begginning to like. The reference picture that I was using actually had far more trees in it but I was quite pleased with the background so decided to stop. The only problem I have is that in trying to show the texture of the two large treetrunks, I have lightened them and left the more pair of distant trees far too dark. Of course in the reference they were in heavy shade but I have not allowed for this. Of course all is not lost as I can easily take out some of the tone fro these trees. But at least I am beginning to feel that my watercolour brushes will not have to be thrown away.

On a downer, I went to an Art Materials/Craft show at the National Exhibition Center (UK) and found myself buying lots of "crafty" items as well as art materials. Battle is about to commence!

Art or Craft?