Hi Carl,
I don't have as many problems with the bald cypress composition as you seem to. Actually, it is one of my favorites from the exhibit. ;-) I like the copper patina as a suggestion of water and the "spiky" things don't offend me as much as they do you. I hadn't thought about their termination in the middle of the backdrop which makes me think that it may not be a problem. I agree that the tree could have gone to the right just a little bit. The two lower branches follow the movement of the trunk and lead your eye to the left, so moving the tree a bit to the right would probably look better. Actually, I think that the color of the pot was a nice match to the copper patina.
I also have to agree with Matt that the contrast of the foliage against the wood planks was pretty good, unlike some of the other compositions.
Sorry to disagree on so many points, but I guess we each call 'em as we see 'em. It's still cool to discuss this stuff. ;-)
Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
b u n j i n | d e s i g n ::
www.bunjindesign.com
zone 8, Texas