artsy forager

Category: Tools

  • Makeshift. Backpacking With Watercolors.

    Makeshift. Backpacking With Watercolors.

    Do you remember the scene in Wild where Reese Witherspoon can’t stand up under the weight of her pack?  Every backpacker knows that weight is everything.  Every ounce you add to your pack is an additional strain on your legs and back as you hike, which makes what should be an amazing, beautiful experience painfully agonizing. 

    Mr. F & I splurged on a brand new pack for me and decided at the last minute to take a quick overnighter along the Elwha River Trail in  Olympic National Park.  

    Me and my pack, Elwha River

    It was so last minute, I didn’t have a tiny sketchbook to carry with me and I wanted to be able to do some watercolors when we had downtime.  So industrious artsy that I am, I decided to create a makeshift watercolor kit for backpacking.

    First task– create a sketchbook.  The Mr.’s job recruiter recently came to visit & brought us some branded goodies– among them a few pocket journals, which just happened to be the perfect size for backpacking (remember, size matters! ha!).  I ripped out the lined journal paper, then cut a few pieces of Canson Mixed Media paper to size, securing them inside with a heavy rubber band, recycled from grocery-bought veggie bundles (I always keep some on hand, they come in so handy!)

    Photo May 30, 12 11 25 PM

    It worked perfectly– and as an added bonus, it is lighter than a moleskin would be and the pages will be easily removable as I fill them– so it will continue to lighten the more I hike & paint! 

    Onto the paint itself. I already had a super light weight flower-shaped watercolor palette with a lightweight cover. So I filled the wells with my favorite tube colors and let them dry out before packing them up.  I zipped the palette up in a ziploc, to protect all my other things just in case there was any paint leakage.  

    Photo May 30, 12 10 36 PM

    A small, inexpensive brush is sufficient for tiny quick sketches. I hacked off about an inch from the end so that it would fit easily in a quart-sized ziploc with my sketchbook without bending the bristles. That ziploc was then placed inside the freezer-sized ziploc with my palette and a small plastic water cup. I also bring along a folded paper towel for blotting. Viva brand towels work best– light and super absorbent, so I can do lots of blotting and cleaning up without soaking the towel through.

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    Everything worked like a charm!  I may eventually switch out the palette for something more secure, perhaps with a larger mixing area (I like this option, the thumb hole would make it much easier to hold onto), but for now, it does the trick.  We’re hoping to do another overnighter this weekend along the Sol Duc River, follow me on Instagram for photos!

    Here’s a clip of me getting ready for a backpacking adventure.. 🙂 

  • Solution. Genie Canvas.

    Solution. Genie Canvas.

    **Updated 12.26.2018 scroll to the bottom of this post for an update after 3 years of using Genie Canvas.

    Our gypsy life can put a serious damper on my studio practice.  Not the actual practice of creating but finding space to store my work and the high cost of shipping to galleries and clients.  Until recently, I’ve been working on paper and small panels, though I’ve always worked larger and was itching to break into painting BIG again.  But there was the problem of storage and shipping.  Then I discovered Genie Canvas.

    These collapsible canvases seemed like they just might be the answer to my go bigger dilemma.  So I reached out to Genie Canvas and they graciously offered to send me one to try.  As it’s been a while since I painted a large canvas, I went with one of the smaller sizes they offer, a 36×36 ( sizes range from 24×36 up to 60×96 ).  The collapsible canvas arrived neatly packed in a 50x6x6 tube, including 1 1/2″ outside stretcher bars, inner stabilizer bar, and heavy gessoed cotton canvas.

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    Easy to follow detailed instructions for both assembly and repacking for shipment were included, but being a visual learner, I opted to follow the instructional video on their website.  The canvas arrives with two of the stretchers pre-attached, so all you have to do is fold over the other sides, attach the installed velcro, fold the corners, slide in the hinged support and voila, you have a tightly stretched canvas ready for paint!

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    I wasn’t sure about the velcro but I’ve worked on the canvas for five days, moved it around, on and off the easel and it remains as tight and firmly in place as it was when it was first assembled.  I haven’t had the need to ship this canvas out yet ( though we’re leaving Idaho Falls sooner than we thought, so I’ll be packing it up in a few weeks! ), but I’ll post an update to let you know how it went.**

    **Update!  The 36×36 painting shipped easily across the country from Idaho to South Carolina for only $45 including insurance.  It arrived safely with no damage to the painting and was reassembled and ready to hang in minutes!  I’ve ordered 4 more Genie Canvases. 😉

    In the meantime, I’ll share the finished work I created on my Genie Canvas—

    Frenz_Fern Canyon_2015_acrylic on canvas_36x36

    This 36×36 painting is a sneak peek of the body of work I’m creating for my solo show at Art & Light Gallery in March, Latitude.  I’ll be sharing more sneak peeks and info on the Latitude show and series over the next few months. Stay tuned!

    **Update: originally I enthusiastically recommended this product and after this initial experience, over the next 3 years I purchased over 24 canvases in various sizes from Genie Canvas. At first, I was happy with the product as it made shipping affordable but as time went on, I began to notice slips in quality– canvases were arriving with dirty edges and one of the art consultants I worked with told me there was an issue with the canvases not being square (which caused an issue with framing for her client). I brought this to the attention of the owner of Genie Canvas in an email, to which I didn’t get a response. We are all busy so I didn’t think much of the lack of response and I continued to purchase canvases from him until two incidents happened which brought to the forefront for me that these were no longer a reliable product– A canvas ordered for a commission came in with a very large flaw on the surface of the canvas and the stretchers were noticeably bowed when the center structural support was added. Then, a finished canvas was sent to a gallery and one of the canvas stretchers broke in two– again caused by the center support placing too much torque on the other stretchers. I debated whether to update this review, not wanting to seem petty or mean spirited but I cannot in good conscience allow this review to be on my site without an update of my experience with this product.

    All I can say is buyer beware. –Lesley

    Genie Canvas sent me one of their products free of charge for review.  All opinions are my own.