Demonstration painting

On the way to Starved Rock State park awhile back,  we came up an abandoned farm house off of the main road. The light was warm, the shadows were long, and overall, the scene had great potential for a future painting. 
After choosing one of the photographs taken that day, I made some needed changes. A photograph yields great information to use in a painting, but will most often need adjusting to create a stronger composition. Below is the original photo and the adjusted photo and the pattern of the adjusted photo.

Once satisfied with the composition, it was time to do the painting. In transparent watercolor, painting light to dark is most often the best approach. The process of the painting was done in three steps. I first painted the light, middle and dark values to establish the pattern. Next is creating the shape and form, and finally, adding the details within the pattern.

A chance encounter on a country drive offered an opportunity for another interesting painting!