Paintings of France, Italy and Beyond

The weather has warmed up this week, but the strange wind gusts prevail. I sat pondering this over morning coffee, trying to decide where I might go to paint outside without being completely blown away. I had only packed my smaller lightweight pochade box, which as I’ve described previously in excruciating detail, is not great for wind. But the other alternative was to drive across town to my studio to get my larger, sturdier easel. As I turned these matters over in my head, I stared out the kitchen window, and this scene came into view:

“Oscar’s House”
Oil on Canvas
10″x8″

I started noticing how the forsythia bush in our yard (foreground lower left) framed and echoed the bushes in bloom across the street at my neighbor’s house. I also noticed how the bare-limbed trees above created a kind of upper frame for the little bungalow, and I thought the composition could be worth exploring.  Also, since I could set up on my back porch, I’d be sheltered from the wind by our house.  Whether this solution was realized out of laziness or resourcefulness is a matter of opinion, but never-the-less, “Oscar’s House” was born!

Oscar is actually my neighbor’s dog. I am embarrassed to say that I can never remember my neighbor’s name. Okay, it’s no secret to those who know me that I’m not great with remembering peoples’ names. But this particular memory lapse isn’t totally my fault.

When Oscar and his mom moved into their house, my husband and I introduced ourselves and received a reply of “This is Oscar,” referencing the little wiener dog at our new neighbor’s feet. There was no mention of our neighbor’s name, so the conversation developed in such a way that we received various information and opinions of Oscar’s via our neighbor’s translations. (Oscar likes this, Oscar prefers that. Oscar is barking because he isn’t used to strange men, etc.)

In subsequent meetings we actually did find out our neighbor’s name, but you’ll have to ask my husband. For some reason my mind wipes clean any recollection of her name and instantly replaces it with “Oscar’s mom”. So, this is Oscar’s house. I think I’m going to be kind to myself today and call it a resourceful solution to a rather  gusty March morning.

For more information about this painting, please contact me.

Jennifer Young; Vibrant Landscapes
Oil Paintings and Art Prints Online
My Website
Subscribe to my newsletter
Subscribe to my blog
Contact Me!

This is my 4th in a series of posts about artist’s easels. You can see the other installments here:
Part I: On the quest for the perfect easel
Part II: Guerilla Painters’ Pochade Box
Part III: My Soltek Easel

After having already written extensively about my Soltek love, it may seem curious that I’d have yet another pochade- style easel to write about. But what I’ve found (and I’m sure other plein air painters can empathize) is that the quest for the most versatile and easy to use plein air easel must be tempered with the quest for the lightest possible plein air setup. This is especially important if you’re an artist who likes to travel.

With the airline regulations being what they are, it has become more and more of a challenge trying to figure out what items to check (if any) and what items to carry on in the ever-diminishing size of the acceptable carry on bag. While I may not be able to bring all of my art supplies with me on the plane, I prefer to have my easel in my carry-on. When traveling overseas, this sometimes means carrying my bag while running to make a flight connection, so a lightweight and compact bag becomes all the more important.

While the Soltek is lighter than many other setups, I still found myself wondering, “Can I go lighter?”  The answer is, of course, yes. Surely there are many options for going lighter, but the one I chose was the ”Prochade Kit” by EasyL,  referenced in a book I blogged about a while back by Kevin Macpherson;  Landscape Painting Inside & Out.

I had seen other EasyL paint boxes and I was impressed by the setup. In fact, if I hadn’t already gotten a Soltek I might have seriously considered the EasyL Versa, which offers a good deal of versatility while still being lightweight, and at a much more wallet-friendly price. But having already made my “primary” plein air easel selection, I honed in on the Prochade Kit for travel.

At first, I thought I’d only get the little box. After all, I already had a tripod and a couple of bags. But after really examining the Kit, which included a lighter-weight tripod, a GREAT bag, and a number of other nifty add-ons and doo-dads, I justified that it was a decent buy, considering. I really feel like a lot of thought went into the design of the kit, and with everything weighing in at around 10 lbs, I couldn’t imagine as detailed a  setup that is much lighter.

When I first got this little box, I was a bit wary. Compared to the other models I’d experienced, the box seemed a little TOO light, and I was concerned about its fragility. The adaptive panel holder appears to raise and lower by the means of some kind of internal spring. I wasn’t used to this kind of mechanism and wondered if it would hold up, but after several months of use it has so far worked fine. It does come with a warning, however, not to extend this mechanism beyond the 10″ high limit. It holds panel heights from 6 to 10 inches, and any reasonable width. Since I usually paint on the small side out of doors, and particularly when I’m traveling, this was actually fine for me. And while I feel the external latches that close the box are on the flimsy side, the knob and sliding hinge are of a quality that is actually quite good.

But probably what I like most about this kit is the bag. It has a perfect number of slots, pockets, and compartments, making packing and organizing supplies a breeze. While this bag isn’t suitable for larger easels or thicker pochade boxes, it is perfect for a true cigar-style pochade box, whether purchased from EasyL or home-made. It is  the right size for the airline carry-on regulations; and while it is lightweight, it is extremely durable and has enough padding to make it comfortable to carry.

Overall I have been quite happy with the kit, for the main reason that it met my specific needs of a travel box that is lightweight, but complete enough so that I can do more than just light sketching. But I don’t know that I’d recommend this kit as a primary setup for the every day plein air. Even weighted down,  it does not hold up in the wind–and I’ve found myself holding on to it for dear life during some unexpected wind gusts.

I’ll close this little book on plein air easels with some final thoughts.

• Do plenty of research before you buy your plein air easel, but beyond that, give some thought to the way you typically paint. If you don’t paint large, you probably don’t need an easel that accomodates a 30″ high canvas. Perhaps even consider writing down the key features that are important to you in a plein air easel before shopping.

• You don’t have to spend a lot of money to paint en plein air. There are a number of options that are quite inexpensive that you can start with before taking the leap of buying a fancier model:

  • One of the most inexpensive commercially available models I’ve found is the Studio RTA simple tripod steel easel. Nothing fancy, but quite sturdy and lightweight (though because of this it will probably not stay put in strong wind.) With this model, you’ll have to hold your palette and find somewhere to put your supplies, but at $40 it’s a decent deal. I have a couple of these easels at my studio for workshops and they work quite well.

  • Another option is just to consider making your own plein air setup if you are particularly handy. I’ve promised my husband that this is going to be my next pochade box . Cost? Under $15! (hand slapping squarely on forehead.) Thank you to Ellie Clemons for the wonderfully detailed instructions, and to artist John Haynes’ thoughtful blog  that I just discovered for pointing me to Ellie’s page. Also check out artist David Cornelius’ hand made work-in-progress “easel pal” for some additional ideas.

• If your art travels involve flying, be sure to check out the many (and seemingly ever-changing) guidelines and regulations before deciding what to bring and what to leave at home. The Gamblin website has some useful tips about traveling with your paints. Artist Robert Genn had a good discussion going not too long ago on this subject also, on “The Painter’s Keys” –a website that offers artists tips on matters both practical and inspirational.

• Have fun and happy painting!

Jennifer Young; Vibrant Landscapes
Oil Paintings and Art Prints Online
My Website
Subscribe to my newsletter
Subscribe to my blog
Contact Me!

Today I have a new offering up for auction to benefit the Central Virginia Foodbank. This is another watercolor/pen and ink painting of the golden sunflowers of Tuscany:

“Golden Days”
Watercolor/Pen & Ink on Arches Paper
7×10″ (Image size 5×7″)

This painting has sold, but you can see the current auction by clicking here.

Jennifer Young; Vibrant Landscapes
Oil Paintings and Art Prints Online
My Website
Subscribe to my newsletter
Subscribe to my blog
Contact Me!

My schedule has been NUTS lately so unfortunately my blog has suffered a bit of benign neglect. Still alive and kicking and painting, however. Here’s something I thought I’d try to see if I might be able to save a little money on paint. A lot of times when I paint I can mix too much color, (which I still think is far better than mixing too little).

These mixtures can be reused of course, especially if the subsequent painting needs similar hues. But I’m not always good about consciously planning my subjects like that. So here’s a conscious effort to get two paintings going at the same time with color mixtures that relate to each other:

 The key will be not to just lazily use what’s already mixed if it doesn’t really suit what I’m painting. In hindsight it might have been better to start one large painting and one small painting instead of two rather ambitiously sized pieces, (they are both 30×40″.) But I guess I was feeling cocky when I started these! 

While I did the transparent color block-ins  one after the other, what is happening  as I proceed is that I am still focusing on one individually, with an occasional switch-off when I need a change.  I don’t really know if I’m conserving much paint, but it does keep things interesting. In case you can’t tell what these are, the subject matter for both pieces is Lake Como, Italy. The painting on the left will be a more fleshed out version of the little watercolor painting I did for my last charity auction.

Speaking of which, a new Art for Food Auction will be posted by tomorrow morning!

Jennifer Young; Vibrant Landscapes
Oil Paintings and Art Prints Online
My Website
Subscribe to my newsletter
Subscribe to my blog
Contact Me!

This is part 3 in a series of posts I’m writing about my quests for easels, plein air or otherwise. You can read the saga from the beginning  or jump to another section here:
Part I: On the quest for the perfect easel
Part II: Guerilla Painters’ Pochade Box
Part IV: A pochade box for travel

Easel #3: The Soltek. All hail and bow down to the mother of all plein air easels! Okay, my Soltek has had its problems, but I still love this easel. The Soltek is a portable easel that seems to be in a class by itself. It is both “space age” in technical design, and extremely flexible in its configuration:

The telescoping legs fold into themselves the same way they do in a camera tripod. But unlike the pochade box/tripod combo, the Soltek is all self contained, making setup lightning fast. The legs and the overall design also make this easel extremely resistant in the wind, which is probably one of the most difficult weather conditions of all for the plein air painter.

Other features I really love about the Soltek:

• The two wings fold out on either side of the palette to allow for additional space to set brushes, paint thinner, etc. This is an especially important feature (as artists always “need” more space) and one that isn’t usually acheived on the other paint boxes I’ve seen without purchasing separate attachments and adding more weight to the setup.
• The design of the upper and lower canvas holders cover the canvas edges only minimally and flip out indidually so that you can easily cover the edges of your painting without interrupting flow.
• Versatility–it can be configured in many different ways, at many different angles. The easel will support a canvas up to 30″ high– a real plus for those who like to paint large outdoors. With this versatility, it can also function as a smaler studio easel or even a table easel if you want.
• Weight–even though you have a lot more work space, the whole configuration is sleek and weighs just 9 lbs.

Like the French easel models and the bulkier pochade boxes, this easel has space underneath the plastic palette to store brushes and paint tubes, etc (but not the standard brush cleaner containers). It has a carrying strap attached to the easel, but I still find it necessary to have a backpack or bag for additional supplies and for hiking or carrying longer distances. 

While this model is thinner and sleeker than the pochade box I blogged about earlier, it is about as long and nearly as wide as a full French easel (though not nearly as deep), and I have found it difficult to locate a good backpack that will accomodate this easel while still meeting the new airline carry-on restrictions. Soltek does sell its own backpack just for this easel. It works, and you can carry it on the plane, though it could stand to be a bit better designed, with additional padding for hiking, and some better thought-out storage compartments.

But for all of Soltek’s largely wonderful features, I would never recommend that a beginning plein air painter invest in such a product, for the simple reason that it is far too expensive for a casual user. Even for the die-hard, I am hesitant to recommend it without reservation. Not only is it expensive, it’s also like a high-tech car with a lot of fancy gizmos. It takes greater care to maintain, and by methods that can sometimes be more costly and inconvenient than going to the hardware store for a wingnut.

It is advised that you keep the easel clean and free of paint, particularly in the areas of the joints and legs. For someone who gets paint in her hair every time she paints on location, this is a real challenge. And while the telescoping legs are wonderful, they also seem to give people the most problems. Mine tended to either slip (and not remain extended) or stick (unable to easily close) after after only about a year or so of moderate use. The Soltek support people suggested that this sometimes occurs when painters take the easel out onto the beach, where grains of sand get up into the legs. Only I had never taken mine to the beach or anywhere near sand.

The other issue I had was that the plastic hinges that allow the winged flaps to fold outward and remain open broke on me, also after only about a year or so. Soltek support says they now have better hinges and they did offer a couple of options. 1.) They could send me replacement hinges or 2.) I could pay $50 plus shipping to get a Soltek “tuneup” which would address both issues I was having.

Yes, you guessed it.  I forked over the $50. Due to my already considerable investment, I justified the expense since I had at least a couple of rather critical things in need of repair. It was back within a couple of weeks, and has since been working fine. But for the price of this easel (which costs as much or more than some larger studio easels), I still feel these issues are not what I would have expected after 1-2 years of moderate use.

In any event, I still love it, and when working properly, it is by far the easiest in terms of setup and versatility of all the portable easels I’ve experienced. I will continue to use it as long as I can reasonably maintain it. So why would I ever need another plein air easel? Well, besides the need for a backup in case of another Soltek break down, I probably don’t. But that didn’t stop me from one more purchase. (Remember, this was before I admitted I had a problem.) I’ll cover that in the next installment.

Jennifer Young; Vibrant Landscapes
Oil Paintings and Art Prints Online
My Website
Subscribe to my newsletter
Subscribe to my blog
Contact Me!