Critique Groups

It's past time I put up some more thoughts about art. It is much easier to daydream about writing than to peck out the thoughts I've had the last few days. My patience with speech recognition soft ware is very low so peck away I must. I'll let anyone reading in on the best secret to a quicker improvement in your art; find. join, or start a GOOD critique group.
The critical input of your betters and peers about your art will challenge you to improve and try new approaches and solutions to problem areas in your work. It always seems easier to see a solution to a fellow painters picture than what to do one's own masterpiece.
I have benefited greatly from the monthly advice and encouragement of a group of painters that took me in a decade ago. The Critique Group(as it calls itself) has been meeting monthly in members homes for some 30 years now with a slowly changing cast of artists. Besides the fellowship of a common interest,and the challenge of bringing something worthy to show your peers, you learn so much by looking at different works and hearing how others think, respond and talk about them.
You don't have to take all the advice given but you do need to decide what works best for your piece and expresses your ideas. I can talk more about forming a critique group and how they could work at a later time.
Here are two paintings that I improved after hearing what my group thought would strengthen the images.

This has some minor changes from the image in an earlier post.



This painting had the darker U shaped piece added to the top, to contain the piece.


Thanks for looking and let me know what you think.
Bruce