Seaside Atmosphere Painting and Knowing When to Stop

In Watercolor, how to show mood or ambiance with minimal strokes or over-working a piece?

One idea I tried while taking a class with Frank Constantino, an architectural rendering and illustration and most of all artist mentor friend of mine, was to think of a mood or poetic, reverie type moment and attempt to convey it. Less is truly more in terms of strokes and a reduction of thinking and working a painting, something I often have trouble with.  

I found more here by strongly of thinking of a memorable image or combination of memories of places I've been to find this one image.   I held the gestalt in my mind while I began laying down initial light blue overall wash wetting the entire paper and then applying all of the successive  layers of color and washes.

While the image matured in the course of an half hour or so I slowed down and began to realize it was nearing completion and eventually stopped.  Working with the wetness of the paper and laying down colors is an unforgettable and engaging process.  When it's done, it's done.  It is very satisfying to know when to stop.