Caren Goodrich's favorite painting gear and art supplies for plein air landscape artists. A short guide to making your outdoor painting experience better.

Easel-

For plein air artists, there is no substitute for the best when it comes to paintings easels. I painted outdoors for years with cheaper easels before I finally bought a Soltek, and with that purchase, the prior frustration of dealing with cheap easels melted away into a distant memory. The Soltek sets up and folds down in seconds. It is very stable in breezy weather. It folds down to a mere thickness of 3", with the outer folded dimensions of 13" x 18".

The Soltek will make your life easier by being more transportable than the traditional French easel, which is heavier and clunkier. I keep my Soltek loaded with a full set of paint so it's ready to go at a moment's notice. I have a French easel set up permanently in my studio, the Soltek stays ready by the door.

Here I am in June 2005 using my Soltek easel at the headwaters of the Logan River in Utah.



Wet Painting Carriers-

Guerrilla Painters (aka Judsons Plein Air Outfitters) makes a wood box that is easy to use and holds 12 wet paintings. The box is available in various sizes, I use the 9" x 12" which is the size panel I most frequently use to paint outdoors. The dowside to the Guerrilla Box is that it is a bit heavy, being solid wood. But it is strong enough to sit on if you need to give your back a rest!

A lighter alternative is the Ray Mar panel carrier. It holds six panels and weighs less than a pound. I use the 12" x 16" size, wihcih holds 9" x 12" panels horizontally.

Palette Knife-

I don't go anywhere without my palette knife! Many artists prefer brushes, but I like the knife because of the simplicity of using a single tool (and the texture it creates) rather than having a variety of brushes. Besides, you don't need toxic turpentine with a palette knife. You only need to wipe the knife between colors with a paper towel.  My favorite knife is the Holbein Series SX. They come in different sizes and shapes, I use #2. The Holbein knife is precise and flexible and far superior to cheaper alternatives.

Paint and Panels- I like Holbein and Winsor & Newton oil paint. I have found that cheaper brands tend to be thinner in body and don't work well for palette knife painting. I paint on masonite panels, I either cut my own or buy premade panels such as those available from art supply companies. Even when I buy pre-gessoed panels, I find that surface too grey or too slick so I coat it with Liquitex acrylic gesso, which creates a nice white surface.

I hope this plein air painting guide helps you in your next outdoor painting excursion, after all, it's no fun to lug around more gear than you need!

Caren