Did I Mention Plein Air is Not My Forte?

Ok, two hours spent perched on a tiny travel chair (with built in pouch for carrying art supplies) on a rocky precipice overlooking a madly dashing stream of water was kind of fun and I enjoyed the solitude and soft semi-cool air, but all of that didn't improve my plein air skills one bit. I know I should go out and do it more and then I'd get better. Nature offers so many beautiful and intriguing views and subjects that I find myself getting side tracked and confused about where to concentrate my focus.  It does force me to loosen up and try not to be picky with details, but there is a part of my make up that rebels against that. I want more tidiness and nature is anything but tidy. One of the reasons I often crop in close on subjects is so that I can

pay attention to the nuances completely and not feel I am just dashing off a few shapes and values, which feels to me like not paying them enough tribute or something...Excuses do you think?

This came out sort of ok and might have improved more if I spent another couple of hours out there. I was kind of beginning to get a feel for the rocks after messing with them for quite some time. The water lacked much colour variation due to its presence surrounded by a lot of dark foliage, but the change in values was something I could have gotten into I guess. In the end it all felt like too much, though. So many rocks, so many tiny waterfalls within the major waterfalls, and all those leaves and plants...which to choose, which to stress, which to ignore?

I really admire good landscape painting and while I would love to be able to slap on some paint and have the scene fall into place, that really isn't me. Good thing we all have our different interests and skills or else it could all be pretty boring after a while.  I'll continue to admire the landscapes of others and spend time occasionally giving it a shot myself, but I think I'll stick to what really calls to me, faces, figures, patterns, and close ups.