Fine Art Views Newsletter just re-published your post, great to read again! I was interested in the examples of self-critique you gave 'cool the background, thicken the foreground paint etc.' Those are changes you are making, looking at solely at the picture plane- to make the painting 'work' better. When I paint looking in my yard, I can re-evaluate the actual scene all I want, so my revisions are about translation 'oh, I painted that shadow too dark and cool- is that the right green? Should I make that shrub orangier'- still comparing it to the actual view. I wonder how important that is now, because I am not really looking at the painting as 'whole' result, as you seem to be?