AN ESSAY ON HOW TO PAINT A FRONT PORCH

The question of painting the front porch is one that needs some time to contemplate.

More than color must be considered when one plans for the overall success and satisfaction of viewing the final work at its completion. There's the matter of the landscaping; should one rearrange it? Would the rust tones of an annual vine be more dramatic against a weathered and aged vintage or natural grey? Unless one is truly concerned about the intensity of the impression the scene will have on those who might be the first to criticize, do not restrict the pallete to the conventional, leave it free and open for whimsical shades that will express one's attitude about the overall project and the time that will be spent in the fresh air, the true spirit of the plein aire school of painting.

No mention has been made about the masonry. So often the concrete and hard-to-see items that are part of the scene are never painted. Sometimes it matters little; sometimes it is most important, depending upon how impressive one wants the scene to be. That's to say, will the front porch pass into obscurity or will it become a kind of classical memory for all who gaze at in the future? All of this depends, of course, on one's energy and creative ability as an artist and painter.

By Robert L. Huffstutter