Color is vital, it can help a painting to express seasons, mood, and atmosphere
But people often overthink about color.
my "dirty" pallet
It's all about Warm and Cool
in Technique, Fundamental
Technique
detail of the painting - Enoch
Detail as storytelling device
in Technique
I believe that details don't make a painting. A successful painting relies on good composition, value, shapes, and color. Adding details will make a good painting great, but they do NOT make an unsuccessful painting works.
However, detail can be a great storytelling device.