plein air experiment

Monday I got up early to conduct my painting experiment. Okay, so it wasn't all that early, but it was before noon-8:30 AM to be exact when I got outside.  My goal was to capture color and values to compare with the same scene from inside the house so I didn't worry about composition, just some contrast. Initially I was just going to paint color planes, but I did a bit more...........although it is still a quick study.
My choices were limited. I wanted a view from the house that wasn't all tree leaves, and was on the first floor. I didn't know how fast the sun would change and going upstairs is not a fast procedure for me so the ground floor it had to be. And then I wanted something kind of interesting or pretty. I also wanted a counter
or table available so I didn't have to try and rush in with my easel. Of course had I been really prepared I would have set my easel up inside the night before, I did not think of that.  Now, you  know why I was not a science major...........
Outdoor considerations revolved around ease of access back into the house, not facing directly into the sun, a shadow to set up in would be preferable and flat ground . That left out most of the yard, not because it is excessively hilly, but because my husband hadn't been able to mow it, and the grass and leaves were too high for me to walk safely. So I ended up in our driveway, about 15 feet from our side door, below the kitchen windows.
I divided my canvas in two horizontally, deciding to paint the top the outside view, and the bottom the inside view.  The same view except for the vantage point, but not as drastic as if I had been upstairs. I painted my neighbor's field and his out buildings.  Here they are:

The inside one is darker, but not by a great deal-one or two values. I tend to paint  my values too dark outside -I'm working on that so it may have been lighter than what I painted it .It looks like I messed up the tree inside or the sun changed enough that it wasn't as dark as the outside one when it should have been darker,. One other consideration may be the distance of the subject matter. The farther away something is the less contrast, and this view was about 1/8 of a mile away . Corot advised "Begin you foreground fifty feet away."(from Carlson's Guide to landscape Painting by John F. Carlson).
 Today I also sent a dozen  paintings to Lyons District Library , 240 E. Bridge St., Lyons, MI. My paintings will be on display until the Wed . before Thanksgiving. Their hours are Mon: Noon-7:30,   Tues/Wed/Thurs:10am-6:30pm, Fri&Sat:10am-2pm-, and Sun-closed.