Painters on Wheels: En Plein Air via Caravan

Here's our rig, a 1999 PleasureWay.
M.L.Coleman's Lazy Daze is in the background.

I remember once while very young seeing a whole farm field crowded with silver-skinned vehicles.  They were big, streamlined and shiny—Airstream trailers.  I didn't know at the time but learned later that there are actually clubs for Airstream enthusiasts who like to travel in caravans and camp.  The romantic notion of these wanderers, motoring their way in a long, snaking line of silver through America the Beautiful to enjoy nature and the company of like-minded people, appealed to me.  A wanderer myself, I do tend to prefer a more solitary adventure, but I felt I wouldn't mind a few friends to hook up with now and then.

This idle thought gained speed once I became a plein air painter.  Over the years, I've painted at many outdoor painting competitions.  Although these events often provide housing to the participating artists, some artists prefer to bring their own lodging, setting up camp in a campground, the National Forest or even in the parking lot of the sponsoring organization.  I've seen truck campers, van conversions, RVs bigger than a city bus and even amazingly customized homemade jobs.  Some of these artists, though, did more than just take their rigs to competitions—they regularly took them to places where there are no motels and no AirBnBs.  They could paint all day in these remote places yet not have to worry about driving back a hundred miles to the nearest lodge after nightfall.

I became friends with a painter, M.L. Coleman, about whom I've written before.  He has a Lazy Daze, a smaller but very functional RV.  In fact, he's had a succession of them over the years, taking them throughout the US and Canada to paint.  One day he suggested we go off on a painting trip, and that was my first RV experience ever.

And I loved it.  Imagine waking up at some overwhelmingly stunning location, then watching the sunrise over coffee and planning which direction you are going to point your easel in first.  Imagine painting all morning, the sun getting higher and hotter, and then retiring to the RV's interior for shade and lunch.  Imagine painting all afternoon, then setting up a pair of camp chairs so you can watch the sunset over dinner.  Then imagine a good night's rest in a comfortable bed, with heating or air-conditioning should you require it—and then doing it all over again the next day and the next.

Another benefit is that, if the weather is inclement and your rig affords a view, you can paint from inside.  I did this one very windy, dusty day up in Monument Valley in Utah.

“So when are you going to get your RV?” M.L. would ask at the end of each of our many trips.

“We're looking,” I'd reply.  I was a bit hesitant.  Why?  Well, an RV isn't just a box you sleep in.  It's got “systems.”  Grey water and black water systems that need to be dumped.  Batteries that need to recharge so you can have night lights and running water.  Propane tanks that need to be refilled so you can cook and take a hot shower.  Plumbing that needs to be winterized.  And some even have solar panels that need—well, I'm not sure what they need.

An automobile is complicated enough, I thought.

While mulling over the pros and cons, I started thinking about those Airstream caravans, and I decided it'd be fun to have club of traveling painters—Painters on Wheels.

Finally, the dream of painting footloose and fancy-free won me over.  It took awhile—years, in fact—to decide exactly what would suit us.  There are so many options of differing complexity and pricing.  We finally decided on a used PleasureWay, which has everything we need for not just campgrounds but for boondocking for several days.  (“Boondocking," also known as “dry camping,” means camping without hooking up to electricity, water or sewer.)

As for the systems, I had traveled enough with M.L. to know the basics.  And the previous owner of our PleasureWay was kind enough to go over a few things with me, and to let me know about a Facebook support group for owners of these older rigs.

So, this past week, we had our first unofficial outing of Painters on Wheels.  We met M.L. at Lyman Lake State Park in Arizona with our very own RV.  It was a short painting trip, but I'm sure the first of many.  The experience was everything we hoped it would be.

I've included a few photos here.  I'll post images of my sketches in the next blog entry.

By the way, I've set up a website for the club, www.PaintersOnWheels.com, as well as a Facebook group.  (And check out the hashtag #paintersonwheels on Instagram.)  Maybe we'll see you on the road!

M.L. Coleman (left), Me (right)

Me, working in pastel

Me, painting gouache

Well-controlled pets are welcome with Painters on Wheels

You'll notice a lot of sitting among these painters.
I'll give my thoughts on Sitting v. Standing in a future post.

Early morning walk to see the smoky sunrise
(Lots of wildfires burning in Arizona and New Mexico now)
I wouldn't have seen this had I not stayed the night

Our last morning before departure.