This painting system  evolved from the "French Easel" concept of maintaining a position of Canvas above and Palette below. You still have your canvas at eye level so you can look directly back and forth from your subject matter to your painting. The palette is located at waist level with a sturdy 2 point wedge connection:  It does not wobble like the one point connection of a Pochade Box. 
     You can also crank up the tripod head and put the panel holder on upside down. This works well for painting sitting down or if you just want your panel closer to your palette. (See Photo below). 
     Compared to the French Easel (at 13 lbs.) or most other outdoor painting set-ups, the Plein Air System is MUCH lighter in weight; The system weighs under 4 lbs. and the tripod is 3 lbs.for a total of around 7 lbs.. Another big difference is that our system sets up in less than a minute!
     Many of the parts are made from solid oak which makes it very durable for field work and packing it for travel.  There are no complicated moving parts to break and if you accidentally lose a part it may be found in most hardware stores.
     The palette has more than twice the paint mixing space (Standard palette is 12" by 16")  than most  outdoor systems but remarkably weighs less. You can also use the inside of the wings to double your mixing room, or to use as space to lay brushes, palette knives, and other painting materials. It is like having a portable table to work from. You may have a piece of glass or plexiglass cut and installed inside the palette if you want. I recommend that you let the oil cure the wood palette to make it hard and slick just like the artist's thumb held palettes that have been used for over a hundred years.
      The Extra Long panel holder can accommodate small or large panels up to twenty inches. (If you want the Xtra Long Panel Holder with your System you must let me know when you order...just send a note when you pay with PayPal or send me an Email) 

     I recommend staying with the Standard/Compact size Panel Holder unless you think you will be painting larger than 16". It is a little more sturdy and compact to carry than the longer one. You can also order Cavas Adaptor Clips for stretched canvas. There are different size panel holders that you order with a different size palette if you want to mix and match. 
     It is very affordable, nearly half that of many other popular painting set ups. The lightweight (3 lbs) but sturdy Slik F740 Tripod is included in the total price!
     We now offer 2 more sizes. In addition to our STANDARD size, we now have a COMPACT and a MINI size. The SLIK F740 tripod is shorter and will fit into most small rolling luggage carriers and is much easier to put in or strap onto your backpack. 
     Dimensions for each PALETTE:

STANDARD: Interior - 12x16, Exterior - 16x18, weighs 4 lbs.   

COMPACT:  Interior - 9.5x15, Exterior - 13.5x17, weighs 3 lbs.

MINI:  Interior - 9x12, Exterior - 13x14, weighs 2 lbs.

     Maximum Panel size for each PANEL HOLDER: Extra Long 20", Standard or Compact 16", Mini 12". Overall length: Extra Long 26", Standard or Compact 21", Mini 18".
     There is a long list of Professional artists that have been using our Plein Air System for over a decade, here are a few:
    Carol Marine     John Poon    Jennifer McChristian  
 Gavin Brooks    Lynn Gertenbach      Gay Faulkenberry