Boxing Plain Air

Lynda plans to do some art workshops this summer and to do so, she would either have to carry her large easel into the field along with paints and sundry or she could get herself a 'Pochade Box'. A Pochade box (Pochade being French for 'quick sketch') is a small box that mounts directly onto a tripod and acts as an easel as well as storage for a wet palette and paints. En Plein Air or Plein Air is the act of painting outdoors or in the open.

Good quality Pochade boxes cost anywhere from 100 to upwards of 500 dollars. Really!! Someone must think that artists make money!!!!

I got a table top art kit from XSCargo for 19.99, which would normally be used on a smooth surface. The lid doubles as an easel with the paint storage on the opposite side of the painter. I completely dismantled the box and installed heavy duty brass hinges on the adjacent side. I reoriented the the lid stays so that the box would open to it's maximum at approximately 110 degrees. The base was reinforced with 1/4" MDF and I installed a 1/4"-20 T nut into the base. The tripod would then be affixed to this.

As a final touch I heat transferred Lynda's 70Popes logo on the lid such that it would be right side up in the open position.

Now all Lynda has to carry with her will be the Pochade box and a tripod.

Not exactly what I bought, but similar in structure.

The box on the tripod

The lid will serve to hold the canvas or art board

I've had to relinquish ownership of my tripod..... and my lovely Manfrotto head!!!

From the rear