12. Plein Air Hawaii Gear Guide, Part 4: Carriage, Bags, and Seating
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Introduction
I have been making artwork from the landscape and teaching Plein Air on location in Hawaii for nearly 15 years and I’m still learning something new every time I head out into the field because not only are conditions always changing - weather, landscape, tools, skills - but also so am I. As, of course, are you. Heraclitus said you never step into the same stream twice; therefore, please use this gear guide more philosophically rather than prescriptively. Some of the gear below you’ll use for certain situations, and others you won’t use at all. Each time you go out will present new challenges and surprises. Ultimately, your Plein Air practice is about artful adaptation.
This gear guide is separated into five parts and will cover the following three related topics in each part:
That means I will be introducing and explaining the types of gear you might wish to have, but not necessarily the exact brands or where to get them. Any links in this article are for informational purposes, and I have no affiliation with them whatsoever.
Please note your use or non-use of any of these products or any of these types of products out in the field in changing, and possibly even dangerous, conditions is at your own risk.
One more thing: first and foremost, this is a guide about fine art painting gear for the tropics. As far as I know, no such other guide currently exists in print or online.
Costco’s popular beach wagon
Land’s End makes sturdy totes
Director’s beach chair with pockets
4. Carriage, Bags, and Seating
TL; DR: When en plein air tropicale, carrying your gear on your back or wheeling it in is best.
Carriage
Carriage is how you port, pack, or bring your gear to a plein air site. You might choose a bag, a cart, or even a friend to help you schlep!
It can be easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you need to bring everything - and the kitchen sink - when you first start out. I assure you, however, that the more pared down you get, the better your experience, and your artwork, becomes.
Of course, there are two main approaches to how much and what kind of gear to bring: minimal and maximal. The argument for bringing everything you could ever need is for those who either can’t make up their mind, or have a forgetful one - or are still a bit new to the practice. And the minimalist, well, they can paint anywhere from a “curiously strong” mints tin.
Rolling carts have the advantage of lightening your load by using the laws of physics with the oldest invention - wheels. Costco sells a very popular beach wagon here in Hawaii which you’ve seen in photos of my gear throughout this guide, and is pictured above. Unless you overpack your cart and thereby strain your shoulders and back, the advantages of wheeled carriage are undeniable.
What I like about the one I have (and I’ve tried all kinds of rolling carts from air-filled rubber-tire ones to teachers’ folding office carts to rolling backpacks) is that it folds down and uses rugged, hard, ridged wheels for all-terrain, flat-free carriage.
FWIW, my two cents vis-a-vis any cart on sand - don’t do it. The weight of a fully laden cart over sand is just too much and you’ll get stuck - no matter what rolling carriage you choose, even with balloon tires. Trust me, I’ve tried.
More on the folding: because it can be loaded and unloaded easily from your car after you stow it flat, it leaves more room for stacking and packing gear in your trunk should you wish to go the maximal route. In years past, I even tried loading it fully packed and unfolded into my Outback, and, well, that was just dumb. Not only is it heavy, but also unwieldy. So I go for the fold every time now.
Which leads me to remind you of the minimal option - without a lot of gear… you simply don’t need a rolling cart for carriage. Bags will do. More on that in a moment.
Backpacks are another type of carriage that are also a bag. Convenient, yes? Confusing? Perhaps. I define carriage here as something which leaves one or both hands free.
Backpacks come in all shapes, weight, and sizes. As I mentioned previously, backpacks, too, can even have wheels (rugged or smooth - for airports and schools, mostly) that make it convenient if you’re hauling gear across flat surfaces. The problem I’ve found with indoor-use-designed rolling backpacks across uneven, natural terrain is that it jostles your contents, including liquid media, too much before stressing the contraption to the point of failure. Sometimes the shimmying and shaking breaks the rolling bag itself as well as any glass jars and gear inside it, and therefore I don’t recommend them for plein air use.
Now here comes the fun part - backpacks can come with wheels, but they can also come on seating!
Say what, now?
You heard me right. I use another Costco special for lazy days in the sun - a simple, low-slung backpack chair that lays flat in case you wish to snooze in the afternoon. Meanwhile, the deluxe director’s chair pictured above has backpack straps on it as well as carrying handles, giving it more reasons to rank as the best plein air chair I’ve ever used. More on that below.
On the minimalist end, a washable, foldable, lightweight daypack is worth its weight, perhaps not in gold… maybe platinum? Currently, I’m working on an ultralight plein air kit that only requires me and my smallest, lightest backpack, pictured below. When not on duty for plein air, it doubles as a shopping bag, travel carry-on, and overnight bag, too. More on that in another journal article….
Ultimately, for my money, being the inveterate beach bum, I use either of my two beach-ready backpack chairs when I go out, and especially the director’s chair for plein air because it can carry gear and a lot, lot more.
Bags
But, wait, Andrew, didn’t you just say that the director’s chair - which belongs in seating, yes? - is also a backpack with pockets and thus a bag?
Yes, yes I did, my friend.
In fact, it’s so good, I dare say it’s the one single Swiss Army Knife of gear that I insist you try. Did I mention it also comes with a table? Anyway… no spoilers!
In almost all plein air situations, you’re going to need a bag of some sort handbag, backpack, messenger/cross-body/sling/commuter, or otherwise. Urban painters usually need some kind of bag, of course, unless they participate in no-bag travel, which is an altogether different kind of elite minimalism. Essentially, no-baggers globetrot with nothing but what’s in their pockets - phone, passport, and, theoretically - in the case of plein air artists - paint tin. To my knowledge, there isn’t a current, public, no-bag, plein air artist - urban or landscape. Tag me @andrewrosemfa if you are!
As I mentioned above, a backpack is a type of hands-free bag that allows you to port something rather than have your hands tied up with items in tote bags, for example. These come especially in handy when you’re hiking to a spot, or walking far distances from where you’ve parked or the group you’re with meets. Whether you have bad balance, are traversing uneven terrain, or just like to go light, backpacks are great all-around bag choices. Other bags in the backpack category are any style of cross-body bag - a messenger, commuter or sling. What these do is distribute the weight diagonally across your chest or back, rather than in-line vertically with your spine. The best backpacks for long-haul hiking and walking tours have lumbar stabilizers which distribute weight about the waist and ease the burden on the back.
Some people also use camera bags, or other specialty, partitioned backpack designs that allow them to compartmentalize their gear - with or without lumbar support. Oftentimes the ones made for artists of any medium are three to four times more expensive from name-brand makers, and don’t offer much increased usage, rather they reduce overall capacity. However, if you’re a multimedia artist - painter and photographer, say - then perhaps a photography-specific design might do double duty for you. I’ve found that disposable zip bags, packing cubes and plastic sealing tubs help keep everything organized, clean, and dry for plein air - at a fraction of the cost of a fancy backpack.
If, of course, you’re just going a short walk from car, or bus, or train to site, then perhaps a tote - or two - is your answer. I’ve found that sturdy, heavy canvas tote bags, the kind that open from the top, are useful because of easy access and simple bucket design. They give you a lot of flexibility in packing as well as rummaging. Plus, cotton duck bags wash up easily, are sand-friendly, and can moonlight as environmentally friendly shopping bags on their days off from painting by the shore.
Pro Tip: Remember to wash totes separately, though, as any oils and solvents spilled in them can potentially stain regular clothing or other non-art fabrics in your machine.
Ultralight daypack
Land’s End red tote
Red director’s chair pack
Seating
So you made it. I’ll tell you - my director’s chair (above) has EVERYTHING: locking tray table, shelves, drink holder, adjustable backpack straps, COOLER!!!, zippered pockets, handles, 300lb capacity, padding, phone pocket, canned drink pocket, and a bright red finish. Students have bought it too, and they love it just as much as I do. I can use it all day and never get tired in it. It’s the right height and design for a double session of six hours or more.
Imagine: you’re out there, in the untamed wilds of Lahaina, or Cape Cod, or Provence, and you’re simply exhausted from standing painting lavender fields or sandy beaches all morning. What is a rough-and-tumble plein air artist to do?
Sit in your padded director’s chair, grab a cold drink and a light lunch from your insulated cooler bag, and check your email from your phone right there next to your slick tray table where you can safely stow your beverage before taking a fresh look at the masterpiece sitting on your pochade box, that’s what!
Awesome, right?
I can tell you from personal experience, yes it is. Every. Single. Time. Because: Best Chair Ever.
Also - remember to stay hydrated. Drink more than you think, and eat healthy, salted snacks like nuts and bring some fruit, too. The wind and the sun can whip the electrolytes right out of you, and that is definitely not an experience you want to have.
But what if you say, “Hey Andrew, I’m just a simple artist on the go and I want a lightweight stool I can fold and stash in my backpack?” Or, “Hey Andrew, how about ditching seating altogether? Whaddya think about that, huh?”
I’ve got you covered there, too. In fact, there are so many types of chairs, seating, and random perches to use or find out there in the great plein air, I’m sure you’ll find something you love, but remember, painting standing, if you can, is best. After hours seated, crouched, or perched (yes, time does fly when you’re having fun), you’re going to find your energy sapped and your muscles aching. Seating is for breaks and rest, not work, unless, of course you’re Monet. Then you can paint anything, anywhere, any which way you like. (Wait for it…)
Below you can see a few historical examples.
The classic tri-fold stool (depicted below in Fischer’s self-portrait) used by countless artists across space and time, as well as periods and styles, is versatile, simple, and light. I have one. In storage. That I never use. Because, well, it’s just a wee bit too basic for me. Design-wise though, it’s as old as time. The tripod is the world’s first seating technology, making it a true classic.
Monet went out on a boat and Manet thought it too picturesque to let it pass unremembered into history (below). His seating was built in (as a bow seat athwart the fore end) and there are plenty of examples of artists painting on boats, rocks, and just about anywhere they could sit to get the best view they needed.
Or, as John Singer Sargent discovered below, his sister Emily decided a nice tuft of grass would do nicely, thank you very much. I must say, I’m quite fond of her blousy outfit - as I have one quite like it; here in the tropics where the sun is so very strong one needs ample solar protection, so I’ve changed the color of my frock to white to reduce heat.
Speaking of fashionable sun protection, read on, friends….
Fischer and his tripod en plein air 1889
Monet’s studio en plein eau.
John Singer Sargent’s sister Emily
That’s “Plein Air Hawaii Gear Guide, Part 4: Carriage, Bags, and Seating”! Feel free to share this #artsupplies #gear guide to your favorite social channels using the links below with the tags @andrewrosemfa and #andrewrose and also link back from your sites. For permission to publish in whole or part, please contact me in advance.