The framing tells the whole story here. You've got that clean diagonal giving the piece its bone structure, and the soft color work isn't fighting it. What carries it is how restrained everything is, the composition earns the sentiment instead of just announcing it.

I needed to hear this today. I've been so focused on getting my next batch of prints ready that I forgot to just sit and sketch something for myself. Thank you for the reminder that the work has to stay connected to what drew us to it in the first place.