HARBRON Plein air

  "The ink on the printed page has been magically transformed into paint and brush marks which retain the expressive energy of the original paintings"   ★★★★★ It arrived with a great sense of occasion. A doorbell chimed, humorous banter with the delivery man, large box smothered in foreign postmarks and documentation of another country. Two hands were needed to manoeuvre its heavy weight through the house and land it on the kitchen table.  'What's that?' asked my young niece after I called her over to share the excitement of the unboxing. 'This has come all the way from America' I explained '..and features an artist I'm sure you're going to like' There followed 'oohs' and 'aahs' as a large book emerged from the box, its cover ablaze with fiery oranges, hot pinks, warm blues and mellow greens - Aspen Trail  (2015). We had arrived in Erin Hanson's world, of Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California, places of her homeland and p...

Great sky day in the middle of nowhere; and a car that won't start! This is not the place to discover your car won't start (see pic above). But after a 2 hour session painting in a very remote location in mid-Wales, this is the predicament I found myself.       In the passenger seat, my infirm 85 year old mother was sitting with her watercolours.  Up to this point, we both felt we'd had a good morning painting. Mother had even completed 3 pages of her new sketchbook. But we'd both got cold and hungry, so I finished off, packed up, hopped in, and visualised a steaming Sunday roast, and perhaps a sticky toffee pudding to follow, but oh, custard or ice cream?      I was snapped out of my daydream when I realised nothing was happening when I turned the ignition key. Just to be sure, I twisted the key several times more. The battery warning light flickered, then dimmed, then flickered and dimmed at the same time. The engine did nothing.  ...

  Spotlighting great  examples of plein air art . _______________ Poplars by the Lake (1916) by Tom Thomson (1877-1917).  Oil on board, 8.4" x 10.5" National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.  Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons _______________ The year before his mysterious death, one of Canada's greatest  landscape artists, Tom Thomson, found himself working the summer as a ranger in Algonquin Park, Canada. The area had become his muse, and he had been spending the spring, summer and autumn there, painting the seasons in all weathers, at all times of the day.  It was in this period that he painted Poplars by the Lake,  one of many  oil sketches by the artist, completed  en plein air .  It has all the hallmarks of Thomson's work. The main elements of trees, sky and water, which provided endless fascination for Thomson as subject matter. There is also the signature  b road brushstrokes, liberal applications of oil paint, and idiosyncratic palett...

There's an exhaustive range of tripods out there. Which one is best for the Harbron Tripod Easel? Let's look at how to get the tripod easel matched up correctly. Mount plate compatibility (also known as: Quick-release plate, quick-release shoe, screw plate).    The Harbron Tripod Easel has a 1/4 inch threaded hole at the base of its body to enable attachment of a tripod mount plate. Most standard tripods come with a mount plate with 1/4 inch screw. If your tripod has a different size, don't panic! Adaptors are available. TIP: Look for a tripod with a 1/4 inch mount plate. Mount plates can be bought separately and its a good idea to have a spare permanently attached to your easel, so you don't accidentally leave it still attached to your camera back at home - not that I've ever done that, ever!       TIP: Buy a spare mount plate and fix it permanently to your easel. Adjustment of tripod head To position the easel vertical, you will need to be able to swivel ...

  The Art of Plein Air Painting: An Essential Guide to Materials, Concepts, and Techniques for Painting Outdoors Author:  M. Stephen Doherty "Quality softback edition by American plein air specialist, offering a concise introduction to plein air painting for those starting out. On techniques, you'll want something a bit deeper." ★★★★☆  

  I am making good use of my compact tripod easel in the studio. I usually have at least a few paintings on the go at the same time but space is tight. T he tripod easel only requires a small footprint, so it is no trouble to set-up.  I attach my tripod shelf and place a sheet of Strathmore Palette Paper, held down with bulldog clips. I basically set it up as I would  en plein air .  In the painting (pictured here), I worked from a photo on MDF hardwood (3mm: 205mm x 400mm), primed with three coats of Winsor & Newton Acrylic White Gesso.  I applied a pinkish ground, then composed my painting using Winsor & Newton Artisan Oils, with Artisan Thinner at the blocking stage.  Between the passes, I put the easel aside so that I could press on with other work whilst the layers had time to dry.  Unlike my bulky studio easel, which is confined to one space, I can easily re-position my compact easel to chase the sunlight around the room over...