Monday, November 1, 2010

Plein air Rig

Yesterday I spent some time organizing my plein air gear, thinking I won't be using it nearly as much now that fall is really setting in here in Oregon. I don't mind too much, as I really enjoy my time in the studio too. I like that hunkering down, nesting that inevitably happens.

Before I really put plein air aside for a bit, I worked on a photo of my pastel rig. I also have it posted as a PDF on my website on the workshops page.  Here's the photo and a list of what usually bring. All the items fit in the backpack, so all I have to carry is the french easel and the pastel box. The foam core boards fit on the front of the easel, so I don't have to carry that either. Honestly, though, I don't hike in too, too far with this set-up. If I really want to go lean, I have a smaller box, made by Willow Wisp Farms that fits on a tripod, but I always miss my colors!!
  1. full french easel w/ drawer fully extended to accommodate the pastel box
  2. large Heilman pastel box with pastels organized by value/hue/intensity
  3. backpack with the following items (4-27)
  4. watercolor palette
  5. small water container
  6. bristle brushes
  7. pencils
  8. exacto knife
  9. pencil sharpener
  10. washcloth
  11. paper towels
  12. piece of plastic drop cloth
  13. small sketch book
  14. viewfinder
  15. water to drink and for watercolors
  16. 3 bungie cords
  17. small camera
  18. phone
  19. sunscreen
  20. bug spray
  21. tissues
  22. hand warmers
  23. gloves with fingers cut off
  24. small spray containers of alcohol and water
  25. small container of gamsol
  26. ipod
  27. tape
  28. 2 pieces of foam core with paper sandwiched between and glassine layers on top of each sheet of paper.
Maybe some of you will get to paint outdoors more than I will in the next couple months! Happy painting!!

    1 comment:

    Celeste Bergin said...

    what a great post--I pretty much know what I need now, but it was a lot of fun to see what you feel is essential. Very informative!