Guerrilla Painter ThumBox

I used to carry, out into the field, the wild open-air, a French Easel, which is as heavy as carrying a Toyota Prius on one's back.

Here is a photograph of me using the French Easel:

Since I already have a bad back this was unendurable.

Consequently, I felt empathy for Vincent van Gogh and Monet and Pissarro and the rest of the herioc Masters of En Plein-air--the painters of the open-air.

I finally broke down and bought a small, modern day version of the pochade box.The pochade box according to Wetcanvas.com, "...is a compact, portable painting studio in a small box. "Pochade" is a French word meaning "quick (color) sketch...Traditional pochade boxes were characterized by three simple elements: A hinged lid which functions as an easel and wet painting carrier, a palette which slides out to one side, and the lower portion of the box which contains paints and brushes...These ingenious, old-fashioned devices were used extensively by 18th and 19th century landscape painters...The pochade box...was originally designed to be used for performing plein air 'studies', which are smaller, and less detailed than a finished painting...."http://www.wetcanvas.com/Articles2/5946/234/

I bought a Guerilla Painter ThumBox which is a pochade box. It is an awesome implement in the plein-air painter's repertoire.

Here are some photos of my Guerilla Painter Thumbox:

And my Guerilla Painter ThumBox in action, in the open-air:

And the resulting painting from that day:

 I am grateful to have the lightweight equiptment that is available to today's plein-air painters.

If you are a plien-air painter and are interested in purchasing a Guerilla Painter Thumbox or some the larger pochade boxes and painting supplies here is a good link.

I have used them to order my stuff and have only good things to say about the products and service: http://www.cheapjoes.com/