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 paintin sitting down or if you just want your panel closer to your palette. (See Photo below). 
     Compared to the French Easel or most other outdoor painting set ups, the Plein Air System is MUCH lighter in weight; The system weighs 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 that 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 (12" by 16")  than any outdoor system but remarkably it 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.
      The standard panel holder can accommodate panels up to twenty inches, but you may order a holder that will accommodate larger panels at no additional expense and you may also order large size clips that will accommodate stretched canvas.   
      This outdoor painting set up has been in use by many of the top plein air painters in the country for over a decade. 
     It is very affordable, nearly half that of many other popular painting set ups. The lightweight 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. 
     Interior dimensions for each tripod: Standard - 12x16, Compact - 9 1/2x15, Mini - 9x12.
     Maximum Panel size for each Panel Holder: Standard - 20", Compact - 16", Mini - 12".
     There is a long list of Professional artists using our Plein Air System, here are a few:
    Carol Marine     John Poon    Jennifer McChristian  
 Gavin Brooks    Lynn Gertenbach      

     Our Wet Panel Storage Boxes are made durable using Alder and Oak plywood.  They are the only storage boxes with "V"  molded plastion slots so that your artwork does not get a 1/4" smear on the bottom and top when you slide it in and out like most other panel boxes.
     The 2 slot box is light in weight and will hold 4 one eighth inch thick panels back to back, or 2 one quarter inch panels. This box easily fits into your bag or back pack.
     The 5 slot box holds 10 one eighth inch panels for that longer trip or to just allow your wet panels to dry in your car or studio without worry of damage.
      These storage boxes come in standard sizes: 6x8, 8x10, 9x12, 11x14, and 12x16.  The 12x16 box includes a carrying strap.  You may have a handle or carrying strap added for any box.
       We also offer and adapter for the boxes which allows for another size panel to be carried in the same box.  A 12x16 box will hold 12x16 and 9x12 panels and with an adapter it could also hold either an 8x10 or 11x14 panel.

     We have been using Claessens Finest Double Oil Primed Belgium Linen for ten years. It is an all purpose linen, 11.5 oz. per square inch with 91 threads per square inch.  Oil paint bonds on a molecular level to an oil primed surface as opposed to having to cling to a plastic or acyrlic surface. It is used for plein air painting, portraits, figurative and still lifes, etc.
 We mount it on the finest Baltic Birch Plywood. Birch Plywood is rigid enough to protect the painting from bending or polked holes and yet very light weight for field painting.  Sizes up to 12"x16" are mounted on 1/8" birch and panels larger then that are on 1/4" birch and we can make any size panel you may wish.