@Pamela Britton Hobby Lobby is a disgusting company. Please rethink your association with it.

Very nice!. Painting from photos can be hard bc photos are not usually good at creating depth. Darks should become lighter and bluer and lights should become darker and less saturated as you go back. The net effect is less and less value contrast as you go back. I love Zion and this painting is lovely.

I think more dark blue replacing white is a good idea. Have only 1 lightest area, your focal point. I would also make the moonlight more warm, golden. Nice painting!

@Sanjaya Rath A wash is a thin coat of a transparent color like ultramarine blue. I paint in oils, but I think you would thin the paint wth water in acrylics or maybe that gel that you mentioned. A wash is thin enough to see what's beneath it. The painting should be dry before adding a wash. You can wipe any amount off if you want to before it dries. Also, you can do multiple washes to get the desired effect.

Lovely. One suggestion would be about edges. Keep most of your sharp edges where your focal point is. Blur many of the edges elsewhere. Also moving water should always be blurry bc it's moving. Also, make shadows less dark in the distance. It helps create depth. This is nice. I hope you show us the finished painting. 👍

I'm so impressed and can tell you put your heart into this painting. It's lovely. It might be a good idea to vary the greens a bit more by adding some burnt sienna or a bit of red to the mix here and there, or makesome greens cooler with more blue, especially as you go to the background. I am also teaching myself to paint, and I have found that I learn more from doing smaller, simpler compositions, so I can focus on the basics like composition, value, color mixing, color harmony, creating depth, edges. There are many YT artists that are helpful like Sam. One that has also helped me a lot is Phil Starke. Best wishes.