Supply List:  Oil Landscape (Multi-Day)

(updated 1/3/08)

Paint & Medium

• Paint: I use a limited palette of six colors plus white:

Colors differ from brand to brand, but I use Gamblin oils.  I recommend professional and NOT student grade oils.  If you don't have exactly the paints above, choose a warm and cool pair of each of the three primaries.  You may also use any white you'd like. (* Signifies optional paints.)

• Medium: I do not use any medium other than Turpenoid for thinning.  If you are used to using a medium, then by all means use it for this workshop.  If you want your paintings to dry quickly, I recommend an alkyd medium such as Gamblin's Galkyd Lite #2.

Surface

• Panels.  I use Ampersand Gessobord or my own panels.  (I don't use stretched canvas outdoors.)  If you make your own, look into Judson's Plein Air Outfitters (www.pochade.com) for materials.  My method works best on a smooth, semi-absorbent surface.  Bring a convenient size for outoor work. I recommend 9x12 or smaller, which will allow you to finish a painting in one session. Plan on 2 panels a day for full-day workshops; 1 panel a day for half-day workshops.

Brushes

• Hog bristle flats - #2, #4, #6, #8, #10 (I use the "Grand Prix" line from Silver Brush.)
• Small sable flat for softening edges
• Small sable "rigger" for small twigs, etc.

Equipment

• Outdoor easel.  I use both the 6x8 Guerrilla Painter ThumBox and the 9x12  Guerrilla Painter Box.  An old standby is the trusty French Easel.  Whatever you use, it should be portable and lightweight and above all stable.  (Flying and don't want to pack the easel? If you are attending the Friar's Bay Studio Gallery workshop, we may have a French easel for you to rent. You will need to rent the easel in advance. Rental is $10/week. This does not apply to workshops not at Friar's Bay Studio Gallery.)
• Umbrella - not necessary, but helpful in intense sulight.
• Stool - again, not necessary, but good for comfort. If you must sit to paint, I strongly suggest a stool or collapsible chair, since not all of our locations will have picnic benches.

Miscellaneous (besides the usual oil painting items):

• Small Sketchbook and pencil for making quick thumbnail sketches.
• Viewfinder, gray scale and pocket wheel.  (All available from www.pochade.com.)
• Wet panel carrier.
• Hat, sunblock and water bottle for working outdoors (and maybe bug dope!)
• "Baby wipes" for cleaning fingers. Most locations do not have running water.
• Photos to work from.   In the event of inclement weather -- rain, excessive wind, snow, etc. -- we will work in the studio from photos.
• Lunch.  Bring a bag lunch, because if we're out in the field, we may not have dining facilities or a deli nearby. 

Keep in mind that this is mostly a plein air workshop! What this means is:

• Everything should be portable. You should be able to carry everything in ONE trip.
• Think ahead to what you might need in the field, such as drinking water, snacks, baby wipes for your hands, sun hat, sunblock, etc. But remember -- you still have to carry whatever you bring in ONE trip. (Most likely, we'll be walking very little distance from the car, but you never know!)
• Restrooms may not be immediately available.  The nature of plein air requires a certain amount of flexibility on the part of both instructor and student, and although we will try to find locations that have restrooms, you may have to use the facilities the Great Outdoors provides.
• Be flexible!  Some locations may be better at certain times than others depending on weather and time of day.  Be prepared to carpool, as some locations may not have parking for everyone.

Suggested Reading

My books, Backpacker Painting: Outdoors with Oil & Pastel and Through a Painter's Brush: A Year on Campobello Island, have lots of information on my process plus demonstrations.  (Order from my website.)

The "Bibles" of Outdoor Painting:

• Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Carlson.
• Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne.

Solid Books on Painting, Plein air or Studio, Oil or Pastel:

• The Painterly Approach by Bob Rohm
• Landscape Painting In and Out by Kevin Macpherson.
• Gruppe on Painting, Brushwork for the Oil Painter, Gruppe on Color by Emile Gruppe.
• Painting the Landscape in Pastel by Albert Handell & Anita Louise West
• Plein Air Painting in Watercolor & Oil by Frank LaLumia
• Capturing Light in Oils by Paul Strisik.
• Problem Solving for Oil Painters by Gregg Kreutz.
• Painting the Impressionist Landscape by Lois Griffel.