This piece just blew my mind away when I first saw it. I know how difficult backgrounds can be, especially dense and complex forests like this where you have to factor in how everything's layered, how much detail's too much detail, the combination of colours to use and in this case, just how the lighting's going to work out in order to create a believable 3D setting - and you've succeeded.

Firstly, where the trees and the undergrowth is concerned, I like how you haven't used the same greens and browns (and not just greens and browns either); there's a vast variety of shades, tones and colours, which goes on to create a wonderfully diverse and magical background. You've done well to make the foreground - the trees at the very front - darker and the trees further in the back more blurred and faded. It helps the foreground trees to stand out and the variation of darkness and lightness helps give the painting depth. The blurriness of the background combined with the brighter swirls of colour also really helps enhance the painting's relaxed and magical feel as well as giving the impression that sunlight's streaming through the trees (something I'm still struggling with).

The way the light reflects on the horse is well done, although one slight criticism of the horse itself would be that I think the shadows on its back legs and rear end should be darker. It blends into the background a little too much for me, and with the way it's positioned and the way light's streaming in, I think its rear end would be shadowed more.

Additionally, I think the horse's rider is too blurry and indistinct. You can't really make out what he looks like or his form very well, and that coupled with the blurriness of the trees behind him kind of causes him to blend in with the background a bit, making it difficult to the distinguish the two. I didn't even realise something was on the horse's back at first glance until I took a closer look. He doesn't stand out enough.

Neverthless, this rougher painting style of yours works really well for this painting, especially with regards to the setting. It reminds me of the work of the Impressionists, and it really captures the sense of wild, natural beauty here. Keep on painting! You'll do great things.

This piece is very beautiful. The lighting, textures and smooth, watery colours seen are quite eye pleasing. It gives off an almost dream like kind of feel. I enjoy the sharpness of the tree in the center of the piece, it really draws the eye towards the center. Also the break at the top of the tree revealing a blue sky is a wonderful eye catcher. It gives a feeling of relief from staring at a dense forest. It is almost like a breath of fresh air. This piece really stands out as being symbolic to me. I feel that the horse represents something as pureness, good, or life, while the mysterious looking knight could almost represent some kind of mystery, darkness, or even death. Well done on everything.