An Amicable Split

After giving the issue a lot of thought, I have decided that it's best if the cardinal couple split up. For the sake of the art. I painted them together 3 years ago, with the intention of showing them interacting as a faithful couple, as cardinals are often known. However, the painting was still with me unsold, and I had to figure out why.
First, its frame was rather dark and bulky, and may have detracted from the painting. Its layout was also decidedly horizontal, perhaps too much. There may have been a bit too much space between them, which made the design a slight bit off balance.
Honestly, I was tired of shlepping this painting to and from shows. Cardinals usually are quick sellers, and even with "this economy" I expected them to have sold by now. With their legal separation, they can be displayed as good friends instead of mates. I added some more leaves to the male's picture to fill in some gaps. I'll mat and frame them identically, and with these improvements I'm hoping they'll find that it's for the best.