Warm Day in April 8x6 oil

Well it has been a long time since I got out to paint.  Just one thing after another and no plein air because of it.  It was a short visit with Kim Vanderhoek out at Santiago Creek.  It was a very sunny morning and warm.  The shade felt good.  

I seem to think a lot more now about what I am painting and how I am going to get there than ever before.  It didn't just flow out of the brush and magically appear.  I got to play a bit with laying in color and feeling and seeing what I thought.  Shapes were difficult for me.  Seems like the simplest concept, but nothing felt quite right.  That was okay because I did not take for granted that nature was gonna give me a perfect composition without fudging things.  Thought  about the focal point and what makes one work.  Darken up or sharpen up edges???  How do I get the eye to go to a point and stay for a bit before moving around the canvas?  I enjoyed working with color and hoped not to over work it into a nice mud.  I think I did fine.  All and all it was a good paint session and I hope to paint with Kim again soon.