Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver

A few weeks ago I gave an outdoor painting workshop. The main focus of it was simplifying a painting and getting it to an almost finished stage. I often don't finish my outdoor paintings on the spot. Mostly it's because I have reached a point where I'm brain dead and know I won't necessarily make the best decisions on finishing. I often become enslaved to small details at this point and have found it best to finish them at home after some time has gone by and I can look at it objectively. I want to make small finishing touches that will improve the painting, not clutter it up.

My students at the workshop followed along as we painted one particular scene together and I made them stop after we had reached a good stopping point. They asked me how I thought I would finish the painting at home and I really couldn't tell them because at that point I didn't know. Now, enough time has gone by and I have walked past that painting enough to know exactly what to do. (I've learned it's a good idea not to proceed, until I know how to proceed. Knowing how is the key, as opposed to "maybe this will help". This is what Edgar Payne meant when he said "knowledge precedes execution.")

Here's the demo when we quit. (That diagonal streak on the left is the shadow from my panel holder). In order to keep the same lighting on both and better show the changes, I photographed the finished painting outside also.

I wanted to add a little variety in some of the foliage and some sunnier spots to a couple of the tree trunks. A little bit of additional texture in the foreground, and a brighter, cleaner sky, and I'm happy with the painting.

I really needed the time in between to know just what to do. I couldn't see it in the field. The same goes for using a reference photo to finish it. The trouble with both of those is that I get sucked in by all the detail and easily lose the impact of the painting. By using my memory and imagination I can finish the painting in a way that preserves the integrity of the honest effort. If I painted outside everyday I might have known what to do to finish, but for now, this is the best way for me. Do you have a method for finishing outdoor paintings?