Olive Trees by Teresa Allen

I like your mix of media, you have used the pastel to great effect. Super compostion.

Love the tones in this. Captured the hot dusty feel well. A minor thing - my own taste - the road seems to lead me out the top of the picture. I might have been inclined to bend it to the right and behind the building, into the centre of the picture? But that doesn't distract from a lovely picture!

Thanks Lesley and congratulations. Tony thanks for your comments ,its a valid point about the road.and would work as a composition.However there is a dirt track turning off the road to the right about two thirds up leading towards the house (you might need a magnifying glass to see it!)

I'm not bothered by the road - I see Tony's point, but I like pictures that break the rules a bit (or even a lot) - eg, boats sailing out of a painting rather than into it, roads leading out of the picture plane. You have movement here, which is I think more important; creative use of several different media, working well together.

I find the atmosphere in the painting fascinating - to me it is a snapshot of a long walk up the hill, just passing a rather inconspicuous house and a couple of olive trees - I almost feel warm and tired ;). Great use of complementary colours

A lovely piece. The sunshine is wonderful, and there's so muc to lead the eye around and hold the viewer's attention - it's a great composition.

I keep coming back to see what you're doing, Teresa - it's the Olive Trees and the Cypress I remember - perhaps because Provence is stamped in my mind - but you use the sharp, bright colours that I like so much. Funny, that there's such a pandering for so-called contemporary art, when so many people are just looking for beauty. Have a look at Tracy Emin at the RA Summer Exhibition to see what I mean - keep going, T!

Thanks, Jorgen for your kind words.I try not to include placenames in the title of the painting because I like the idea of people deciding for themselves where it reminds them of.However sometimes its necessary, especially when painting local scenes!