Well this an interesting process! For this painting I actually ended up making 3 different sizes for it as I worked out the kinks. The first, pictured below measures 4x6" and acted as my "first take".
In this first 'small' painting I worked out the bigger shapes trying to be very clear about where I was adding details, where the color shifts and shadows came in and trying to keep an overall compositional idea present. Pictured below is the second take. A 5x8" version.
After having gotten a practice run in it was easier for me to go heavy on my earlier choices. In this next phase I tried to play with a bit more contrast and detail in specific areas that made sense to me. Working out the shapes of the bushy tree zone was difficult and I think I ended up learning a lot from it before moving on to the big one at 8x10".
I really enjoyed this iterative process and I think I was able to "plus" the overall idea in a small way each time. I heard of a study done on basketball players recently about the benefit of visualization for free throws. I wanted to give myself an opportunity to visualize the painting a few times over while gradually making incremental changes and I think this was a good pathway to tackle a complicated subject.
What are some of the ways you prepare yourself to perform?