Here is the painting "Sun Kissed Drive" that I will be talking about. As you can see, I organized my light and my shadows and made color changes throughout the painting. I am going to talk about the porch detail below.

The detail on the left is from my painting. The detail on the right is a detail from a painting my student did. As you can see, I have painted the structure of the porch. The posts in the back are darker and remain back, while the posts on the front come forward. My student stopped looking at what was in front of her. She just put the posts in as she imaged them. They look like they are lined up in the front. and they don't go back. This is what I would call the structure of this side porch. It is important to visualize this porch in space and to paint it that way.

Here are a few examples of structure in a painting. Notice that the gate of the arbor recedes back from the front archway. I have painted it a different color (greener) compared to the pure color of the archway (bluer and purer in color which makes it come forward). I have organized my lights and my darks so they are consistent. The trees in the distance recede because they are neutral, have less contrast and are cooler. Look at the  window to the right. I have painted it in sunlight and shadow so it gives the illusion of being in light. If I had painted the panes in light as dark as I saw them, the illusion of light on the  side of the building would not be as strong. Sometimes I have to paint what I know, not what I see. This comes from years of painting on location and developing a good painting memory.

The Classic pochade box from Artwork Essentials (EasyL) comes with a lightweight tripod. We have adapted the Paint-Saver Palette and painting surface as you can see in the second photo. These are available from FineArtTech.

Here is a lightweight duffel bag to carry on the plane. The internal flight from Istanbul to Dalaman restricts you to one checked (40 lbs) and one carry on (19 lbs) with size restrictions.

You can buy lightweight panels from Wind River Arts - the Gatorfoam ones.

An finally, get a lightweight panel carrier, also from Artwork Essentials to put these lightweight panels in.
Voila, you are ready to fit into their weight restrictions and actually get to paint across Turkey.

Here is the beginning of a painting. I have tried to make different color changes throughout the painting. The pink in the sky is darker and more red than the white of the house in light. The right bush is darker and redder in shadow than the bush on the left which is back further so the shadow is a bit lighter and cooler. The inside of the porch is a bit darker and warmer than the shadow part of the outside walls of the house. I am not sure whether these colors are accurate at this point but I have painted rapidly to get my first impression down. I have also concentrated on organizing the lights and my shadows.

I go back to my start and add the greens in the foliage and the reflective lights in the house. I am creating form with color changes. I am not doing this with value only but making hue changes also. When I add the reflective light in the white of the house in shadow, I am careful to keep it dark enough so that it still stays together with the shadow notes.

Voila, here is the finished painting with details added.

More steps of this painting are included in my book,
"Mondays with Camille "Capturing the Key of Light in Color"
Visit my web site: przewodek.com and request a ten-page preview of my new book!

Although this painting was done on location, here is a photo of the actual house. I think I have improved it.

As Hawthorne says in "Hawthorne on Painting" (a book I highly recommend)

"Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision - it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so."