Evolution of an Image- San Francisco Alley, my first painting sold!

I sold this painting back in May.   It's a little baby step, but it felt good! I'm producing this stuff because it gives me pleasure to paint, but I'd like for it to "get out there" more, into the hands of others, and if I can earn something doing that, all the better.  That would only allow me to paint more.
That would be a dream.

Of course, this painting has gone through a number of iterations. 

I'd just finished painting up in Chinatown and was on my way down to Union Square when I saw this.  I couldn't stop myself from pulling up a seat and painting this on the spot.  The shaft of light slipping down the wall was wonderful.  This first one was plein air, 1/8 sheet--

Over the rest of April, I painted the scene a number of times.  First, my interest in the architecture, the windows and what not, dominated, but I thought it too dry.  It expressed more control, but it had lost that spark! And I somehow forgot to leave the windows there, behind the fire escape.  Yikes!

I did some experiments with a soft, runny method combined with very dry strokes for the windows.  I liked those-

In the end, when I did it again, I got this, which is the piece I sold--