Wow, these last few are SO beautiful! I feel quite inferior
Thank you. I was surprised they came out as well as they did! I was watching a lot of oil painting lately and have tried to follow some of what they do.
There is no reason to feel inferior. I wasn't sure if you were serious about that, or it was just a way to compliment!
However, that is something I think all artists deal with, wondering if they are improving, thinking that their work is not good. I was listening to the guy from the Youtube channel, KevinOilPaints or Paint with Kevin, or something along those lines. He talked about how he had managed to be positive and satisfied with the art he did over the years, and that is what kept him motivated. That is quite different than my usual mindset. There are times I am satisfied, but often there is something about each painting I wish I could correct. He mentioned even being happy about one aspect of a painting, doing it well, and that next time you can add another. It was a helpful thought.
We see so many professional and talented artists out there it is always a temptation to compare ourselves, and realize we are quite a ways off. And that is part of learning as well, but it has to be constructive. We have to see what we can do better, and then set out to do it, not just get so discouraged we give up.
I see a lot of improvements in my work over time. But I also recently contemplated giving up painting altogether after looking at how far I had to go in my estimation. But it is good to be satisfied sometimes too!