Chasing colors

This is the last of the orchard paintings I did last week. It falls into the "not successful" category for me. When I set up, the shape of Mt. Diablo behind the low hills was so dramatic. But as I was working, it got hazier and the colors kept shifting. I foolishly changed the color of the mountain several times trying to adjust the relationships between the background and foreground, and ended up with a bunch of easter egg pastels. One of the best skills a plein air painter can acquire, seems to me, is a good memory for color.