Shape Welding

I like detail in my paintings but do allow it to blur the focus of the narrative. 'Dryad' needs the figures to weld with the tree. I want to show the texture of the bark but at the same time have soft flesh and a sense of life blood flowing in unison with everything. I am at real risk of drowning in detail with this ambition.

So I was interested in 'Gurney Journey's' post on “Hip Hip Hurra!” by the Danish/Norwegian painter Peder Krøyer. He discusses how by "shape welding" this artists keeps control of the complex details. He defines "shape welding" as:
"The trick is to cleverly arrange the elements so that adjacent tonal shapes fuse together into larger abstract patterns."



Looking at my image in black and white will help me decide if I am achieving this. I have a long way to go!