Last Thursday’s weather was pretty awful for Plein air painting but that doesn’t stop some us from getting out there, even if it means we are confined to our car. This week I trialled my lap easel sitting in the passenger side of the car.
This is really a small table easel where I removed the partitions in the drawer. It sits comfortably on my lap, I can fit my palette and water, and I am able to adjust the angle of the board. This is a much better solution than using the steering wheel to prop the board on a fixed angle, and having all the other stuff on the passenger seat. This was a real pain being a right handed painter in a right wheel drive car.

As the day was grey and overcast I used limited colours, Raw Sienna and Ultramarine with a touch of Burnt Sienna for the darker areas. Unfortunately I forgot my brushes but had a waterbrush in my pencil case so I had to manage with that.

My tip this week comes from advice I’ve learned from several artists – is not try to complete the painting completely. Take it to about 75% completion then reevaluate at home. Often, away from all the details on site you find you maybe don’t need to add any more.
I stop when I don’t know what else to add or I get too cold. Sometimes I add more at home but in this case I decided that I’d leave it as is.