Plein Air Painting Essentials Part 2

Here is my friend Addren Doss painting at Garvan Gardens, an invitational paint out we attended last fall. You can see both of our set-ups. We both use the Open Box M pochade. This is one of my favorite set-ups because it is lightweight, easy to set up, and it is sturdy. Another one I am becoming more and more fond of is the Alla Prima box.
That is also the criteria for taking your equipment to a plein air event. You don't want to have equipment failures. Be sure to familiarize yourself with your equipment before you go to an event and make sure that everything is in working order.
After arriving, resting, and going over your event schedules and clearly understanding the rules, I like to look over possible painting sites. I look for interesting subject matter as well as the best time of the day to paint that site. I also am on the lookout for bad weather locations. We had horrific rainstorms several days in a row, so I was glad that I had spotted some overhangs and tent areas for protection.
Watching the weather reports is also the job of the plein air painter. That helps me prepare my equipment for the day.
Now the fun begins...painting from dawn to dusk in search of that perfect plein air piece for the exhibition.