"Pause" To Be Thankful

Gratitude for Good Friends

My current plein air set up - cheap field easel and all...

And the quest for better equipment

In my opinion, the most valuable asset for artists is other artists. Making art is very often an independent and solitary process which can be tough and isolating. Forming art friendships is one of the most important things that an artist can do for herself. Art friends are willing to talk with you about art and about the complexities of making art. Art friends listen when you ask questions and talk about frustrations; willing to offer critiques and advice. Making art without an art community would be most difficult to do.

Initially, for a few group plein air sessions, I bought a cheap french easel - not planning to paint much outdoors. However, I now want to do more plein air which means that I want a better easel. My $50 french easel works fine and has stood up to wind rain and cold. However, it is a HUGE pain to set up. And I have been caught in the rain trying to unscrew it and take it all down--me and my equipment getting drenched.

Recently I have been researching better plein air easels, starting by asking art friends what they use and endorse. The Artists who do the most plein air painting all highly endorse the Soltek -which is pricey but easy to set up. Good plein air easels are costly-much much more expensive than my little cheapo easel. After I save up, the next big question is how do I choose what is best for me? I want equipment that I like in the field and that will endure for years. Having painted outside, in breeze and wind, a sturdy set up is a must. And lighter weight (since I don't Crossfit) would be a big plus. In doing my online research, I created a plein air easel comparison spreadsheet. I narrowed down my options and sent my spreadsheet to my art friend for her review.

Borrowed easel, easy setup

The next day we had an art session together and she brought one of her old plein air easels. Not only did she show me the Guerrilla Painter easel, she also showed me how to set it up and take it down. After her very positive endorsement she also said that I could try it for a month. Wow [insert gratitude here]! What a generous and amazing gesture and what an opportunity for me! Thank you Janet!

I took the Guerrilla out today for a plein air session, and loved the easy setup. The palette space is small, but I had no problem with that. And, I loved that I could put my wet canvas into the lid for portability. This testing an easel is pretty fun! The weather looks cooler next week, my Guerilla painter testing session will continue-stay tuned!

Janet's gesture reinforced my belief in my art friends and led me to pause to contemplate my gratitude for them. Everyday I am thankful for all of my art friends, beautiful wonderful people! Thank you, I appreciate you all!





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