Tuesday, July 31, 2012

EN PLEIN AIR PRO EASEL TEST RUN

En Plein Air Pro Easel

I picked up a new easel recently and I am trying it out in the studio before taking it on the road. I have it set up next to my studio easel and configured as if I was outdoors painting. Once I get it outdoors I'll take better pictures.

  

The first thing I noticed is the light weight, 1.5 lbs. which is the lightest easel I've seen so far. The easel and panel holder are made of sturdy ABS material which means it won't warp or crack. I found the 144 square inch mixing area to be plenty for my eleven color palette. The En Plein Air Pro comes with its own uniquely designed turp container which you can see in the photo is nicely placed at the bottom. There's also a slot at the bottom right for my linseed oil cup and holes across the top for holding paint brushes.

Now for the painting.



My 8" x 10" panel sitting on the adjustable panel holder. After applying a wash of cadmium orange I block in the major shapes with burnt sienna and some ultramarine blue.


 I paint in the shadow pattern of the foreground and middle ground trees and the grass underneath the trees.




 Next I paint the distant hills and sky keeping everything in harmony with a touch of cadmium orange in almost every paint mixture.



The final painting. A nice quick sketch with a good feeling of late afternoon light.

2 comments:

Mary Lou Epperson said...

Wish I had known about this before heading for Italy with my regular rig and then struggling with stashing it in overhead racks on trains and buses. Thanks for taking the time to provide such a nice description, and of course sharing your superb work.

Carol Reynolds said...

I enjoyed viewing the progressive steps to your wonderful painting. Thanks for sharing and also for the great information and photographs of the Pro Easel. I want one now !