A new series celebrating the coasts of Scotland.
Read MoreArt & Inspiration
166. Chasing the Light
Light is an illusive subject, but one I’ve always been drawn to.
Read More157. Illustration Progress, July 2020
Some thoughts about the illustration process.
Read More150. Pruning my Watercolor palette to be more Earth friendly (Part 1)
I take you through my process of understanding my pigments, and how I decide what stays and goes.
Read More148. Stop thinking about drawing and JUST DRAW!
There's no way around it - if you want to get better you have to put in the "mileage" - the time and effort it takes.
Read More147. Walking the Line between Realism and Abstraction
Walking the Line between Realism and Abstraction - some thoughts about expectations, freedom of expression, and finding joy within the struggles.
Read More146. Three Things That Help Move me Forward in my Artistic Growth
Art has a way of both pulling us out of ourselves and pushing us inwards. Here are three things that help me move forward.
Read More144. Travel Blog: An Artist’s Guide to a Week in Jamaica
My advice for traveling and painting in Jamaica.
Read More142. Festive Market recap at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens (Teagreen Events)
A recap of my weekend selling my art at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens.
Read More140. Plein air in Scotland: 2019 Recap
A big recap of 2019 plein air paintings!
Read More139. "Why expressive and abstract landscapes?"
A question I get a lot: “Why do you paint almost abstract landscapes?”
Read More137. Hand-Painted Maps - First Scotland, then the World!
Check out my process behind my hand-painted maps.
Read More133. Exploring Your Art Style - Narrative Illustration vs. Fine Art
Artists - How do you find your style? In this blog post I discuss what it means to have an art style, how you can discover yours, and other thoughts about the topic.
Read More131. BIG SUMMER SHOP UPDATE!
Check out the newest paintings in the shop, great for collectors!
Read More130. Lightweight Wooden Wet Panel Carrier by Colin Joyce
Let me introduce you to my new favorite thing!
During my research for my blog post about plein air supplies, I came across this local artist who makes custom hand-built wet panel carriers and I could not resist.
I have been wanting a high quality carrier for so long, and his prices were exactly within my budget.
Colin Joyce is a painter himself, and his product reflects his knowledge. There are no frills or extra components, just exactly what you need in a low profile, lightweight carrier. As soon as I opened the package and saw the beautifully stained wood grain I fell in love. I lifted it out of the box, and could not believe how light it was!
When empty, it weighs about 2lbs, 12 oz.
The construction feels extremely sturdy with screws holding it together, rather than just wood glue (which I’m sure was also used).
You can order different sizes and carrying capacities. I wanted to have a single carrier that would suit me for long painting trips (just in case) so I went with the double capacity. (“Standard size carriers will take up to 6 panels back to back, whilst the double versions up to 12”)
Mine holds twelve 8x10 panels (back to back).
The slots for the panels allow a tiny bit of wiggle room for my 2.5mm panels when they are back to back. Colin says that the maximum width for panels is 4.5mm if you want them to fit back-to-back. Otherwise if you use thicker panels you will only be able to fit one per slot.
When completely full, it weights about 5 lbs, 15 oz.
The comfortable shoulder strap makes it really easy to carry, and the lid stays securely closed with the buckle.
And after a close inspection from Vader, I am assured that this box will be a wonderful companion for my plein air adventures.
I even love the fabric of the strap that he included. It suits my aesthetic perfectly!
To finish it off, he adds his logo, which seems to be burned into the wood for that hand-made look.
You can check out Colin’s work and order one of these on his website.
I am not sponsored or affiliated with Colin. I only promote products I own and believe to be high quality. I wouldn’t use something if I didn’t like it!
129. Introducing: Scotland Plein Air Meet-ups in the Highlands
Information about Scotland Plein Air meet-ups.
Read More128. Waterfall Hunting and Painting in the Scottish Highlands!
A week of waterfall hunting and painting in the beautiful spring sunshine! Scotland in spring is so magical.
Read More127. My Experiences with Pochade Boxes for Oil Painting - Plein air in Scotland
My experiences with pochade boxes, in and out of the studio. Up and downs, and what I WISH I had bought.
Read More125. Plein Air Painting at Evanton Beach & testing Ampersand Gessobord and Oil Of Spike Lavender
Three plein air paintings using my new “rules” and what I learned by being patient.
Read More124. Plein air painting: Decisions, decisions...too many decisions...
Thoughts about plein air painting and a new experiment!
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