The value of edits

I spent years moving words around for a living. First lesson: never ship a first draft, except for review. Second lesson: even when you think it's done, your work can probably improve. (Third lesson: there's always a typo on the first page.)

So to grease the wheels after a week off, I took out two pieces that have not sold and went back into them. Here's the before shot of one:

That's supposed to be a building in the lower left, but the eye wants to read it as something up close: a mystery blob. Plus in the city a building by the water wouldn't stand alone. Plus the composition was just clumsy. In December I felt embarrassed to hang it during open studios. Time for some work.

Here's the edited version:

Poof. The clunky building is gone, the skyline has evolved, the reflections are more complex. It looks more like what I see when I walk the river each morning.