Above: Original painting Mountain Memories by Shannon Dailey (from the Landscape Painting Project).
Below: If this were my painting, I'd crop off the dark foreground which dominates the composition too strongly. It's hard to see beyond it to what else is going on in the painting, and it overwhelms the more delicate tones and colors in the distant mountains.
When cropping, make sure the valley doesn't end up right in the center, but place it slightly towards the side. If it were right in the center, it would cut the composition in half. A slightly asymmetrical composition is more intriguing to the eye.
Below: If this were my painting, I'd crop off the dark foreground which dominates the composition too strongly. It's hard to see beyond it to what else is going on in the painting, and it overwhelms the more delicate tones and colors in the distant mountains.
When cropping, make sure the valley doesn't end up right in the center, but place it slightly towards the side. If it were right in the center, it would cut the composition in half. A slightly asymmetrical composition is more intriguing to the eye.