I appreciate everyone's observations. As to the clouds, my intent here was to portray the marine coastal layer 'rolling in' over the low coastal hills. The low cloud levels enable the creation of deeper contrasts that would be diminished from a higher 'ceiling' in my estimation. One of the things that I do as a matter of course is to create a black and white image from the test renders to better view the composition, not only from a perspective and balance view, but to gain a sense of the light and dark 'masses'. I've attached the B&W for your viewing. There are a number of perspective lines in the composition comprised of the cloud elements radiating toward the top mid center, as well as the fallen trees and the mounded linear remains of decayed fallen trees that radiate toward the bottom mid center. The lighting on the center terrain element acts as the receipt point of the perspective elements, but without the contrasts of the shaded backgorund all that would not work. The feeling here is one that I've had many times along the Northern California coastal areas; the dramatic light grudgingly giving way to the oncoming gray, the calmness at ground level whilst the marine air swirls above. It's these contrasts of light and dark, line and mass that intrique me. What we do as artists is not always successful in conveying our vision to others. Ultimately one's personal aesthetics are what drives the creative flow, so with all due respect, the clouds are as I intended. I truly hope that my answer doesn't sound defensive, nor offensive. I enjoy the give and take with the group of folks on this forum and the generally good spirit of the comments. So while we may disagree on this and that, once again I do appreciate you all taking the time to view and comment on my work. Thank You!
