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Inspiration to use in your own creative work....
edges... fuzzy or sharp... you control it
Where an object stops in the picture plane... there is an edge. As an artist, don't forget to think about how much emphasis you want put on that edge.
Generally speaking, sharp or hard edges yell "hey...look at me!" while soft edges call less attention to themselves...
You can create distance  by smudging or softening the far away edges, and sharpening up the things that are closer. (see the treetops on the distant shore?)
Another way to soften  the edges is by making the values closer. (remember...the value is the darkness or lightness of color) In the red "background" part of this abstract painting the values are closer and seem to be pushed back behind he cream colored "foreground".
If you're painting from a photo, it's especially important to make these decisions for yourself. A camera can make everything on the same plane as the subject in equal focus. You, as the artist, need to decide for yourself what you want to call attention to and what you want to soften.
In the painting below, the vase was actually sitting on the counter... you could see a definite sharp line where the counter top ended. I made sure to soften it so that it wouldn't compete with all of the detail and hard edges of the vase and stems.
So, make sure to consciously check your edges to make sure they are saying what you want them to.
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