Eliminating Objects For Effect

                                     "Glen Cove"

I have a friend who laughingly commented that it's against the law to remove vegetation within 100 feet of the shoreline.  In this scene, painted from my dock here in Maine, I love the key tree, the rocks and their reflections.  In truth, there are a lot more trees and deep, dark woods, but I wanted the sense of looking through them to the sunlit grass on the far side.  I felt free to alter the scene slightly to emphasize the stars of the scene.

This is also a good example of simplifying the shapes of a large mass of trees in the background and the long blades of grass in the foreground.  Many students feel compelled to represent every leaf and blade with dots and stripes.  The shape is more important than the distraction of texture.

So subtract (and add) when it comes in aid of your composition.