This was my favorite oil painting experience ever. It was one of those paintings where everything just came together. Yay!
I painted it from life in two afternoons. I think what led to my success was that first I got the drawing right and then I just put the paint down and left it, doing very little touching up and/or correcting (aka overworking).
Below are a few photos of the setup and the beginnings of the work in progress.
Photo of setup and start 
Getting the drawing right 
Beginning to block in the dark values
Jana Bouc, Artist 