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| The En Plein Air Pro Pastel Easel System |
It's been a few years since I reviewed En Plein Air Pro's oil and acrylic system. Now I have a new setup to tell you about: the En Plein Air Pro pastel system. If you're a pastel artist who likes to paint on-location, this well-designed package offers everything you need for a successful outing. Unlike some systems that make you undertake a series of yoga poses when putting everything together, this one sets up easily and quickly. On my test runs with it, I had everything ready to go in about five minutes. Here are a few things I'd like to highlight.
First, the pastel palette. The durable plastic box, divided into six sections, is lined with foam pads to protect up to 108 of your precious pastel sticks. (Or many more, if you're like me and hang on to those little, well-loved nubs.) What I like best about the box, though, are the two extendable wings, one on each end. I'm always searching for a place to lay the sticks that I have selected, and the wings solve that problem. What's more, they have a series of grooves to hold the sticks so they don't roll off into the grass. By the way, the lid of the box can function as a sunshade. With the included bungee cord, it attaches to the tripod to keep sun off your pastels, making it easier to judge color value. The box “hangs” on the tripod legs for comfortable access.
Next, the aluminum panel holder. The holder attaches to the head of the tripod with a quick release plate, giving great flexibility in your working angle. Two ABS brackets hold your backboard securely but swing out of the way for compact storage. The brackets can hold boards anywhere from 6”x8” to 22” tall. One of my favorite features is the dust ledge. This metal piece piece screws quickly to the panel holder just below the bottom bracket, and it's wide enough to catch most of the dust that falls.
One of the problems I've run into with some systems is an inadequate tripod. Pastel painters can put quite a bit of pressure on the work surface, and not all tripods, especially the ones with plastic heads, are up to it. En Plein Air Pro comes with the Slik U8000 tripod, which is perfect for this setup. Although it does have a plastic head, in my test sessions it held up under attack. I was able to paint quickly and with abandon but without having to worry about the board twisting.
Finally, there's the heavy duty backpack. When you open up the box, it looks like just a nicely-tailored black bag with a couple of carrying handles and lots of straps for securing extras to. (The tripod, by the way, fits neatly inside.) But concealed inside a zippered pouch are two shoulder straps and a waist strap, should you decide to convert it into a backpack. So, you can either hike with it on your back, or you can carry it by its handles.
I enjoyed working with this new system, and I recommend it for beginners because of its ease of set-up but also for experienced painters because of its handy features and stability. The system is now available at www.enpleinairpro.com
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| Pastel palette, showing grooved side trays and cover used as sunshade |
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| Panel holder with my backboard in place; dust ledge beneath |
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| The pastel palette closed and stored with bungie cord |
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| The bag converts quickly and easily into a backpack. |
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| The bag |
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| Pack with hidden backpack straps revealed |
