From Antwerp by bike

« Castle gardens » (Ekeren)
15x15cm, Rosa oil on canvas panel

I've been trying various systems for painting on location. This happens every year when the warm weather returns. Tiny 15x15cm panels mean I can paint quickly without having to refill my paints. They fit perfectly into my small paintbox which is now attached to a tripod. Then I have a cardboard box that holds the wet panel: I stick it to the back of the box with putty, close the box, and put it in my bike bag.

 The tripod pochade box setup

"Day at the Zoo"
20x25cm, oil on canvas

While small panels are easy to transport, they are not always easy to paint. The above is a bit bigger but still fits into my small wooden paintbox+tripod. It's equivalent to 8x10 inches for which I have a wet canvas carrier. 

Another try with the 15x15cm panel but I need to go back to this spot as I didn't get very far before the wind picked up.

 
« Galgenweel »
20x25cm, oil on canvas

Finally, on the lake yesterday I used a bigger box and held it on my lap. The sky was amazing, the weather warm, and from this spot I had a view of the "Royal Yacht Club Belgie". It’s a little more challenging to balance a box while painting but then I don’t need to carry the tripod. Also I’ve got all my paints in the box. I like using Rosa oil paints for location painting because I've got them in small 20ml tubes. But next time I´d like to take advantage of their thicker consistency to paint in a looser, sketchier style — maybe for a cityscape with crowds of people…

 

Above is my bigger paint box in use. I had to stand up here which I'm not used to any more. But otherwise, the setup worked well because it was "hands free". If only I could find a utility box or wall so conveniently placed each time I went out to paint! They are more stable than easels and this one was even in the shade. And while there's so much worry about carrying home the wet panel, this time I just clipped it to one side of the bike bag and took off. That worked fine!