Postcard Paintings

It has been so great using my little Christmas pochade paintbox from Judson's through the summer.  Working smaller, in this case 5x7 inches, and having a much smaller travel box means things are much lighter and the paintings go much quicker.  I am struggling a bit with my two paintbrushes as the bristles bend while drying in the box (they're a little long) but I'm thinking of investing in a couple of really good travel brushes in order to combat that little problem, just need to find the right style.  If the bristles are too soft, then it's difficult to move the paint around the panel, if they're too hard, they scrub the paint on rather than lying it on.  Oh the challenges of plein air painting.

I've not only been enjoying my holidays in my home province, but also the beautiful views and opportunity to capture them in my own way. The top row is Beaver Mines Lake in southern Alberta, the middle HooDoos Trail by Drumheller, and the bottom are views from Tunnel Mountain by Banff.  My preference in travel is to either visit family and friends or creating art, so the small pochade is perfect.

And the Open Acrylics by Golden work like a charm.  They're almost oil paint like in that they take quite awhile to dry so I can blend well.  The only challenge for me is that I'm used to acrylic paint drying quickly so I have to allow time for drying and then go back into the pieces to add highlights and darks.