View Finder

​I really, really love art supplies and one of my favorite tools when I'm painting outdoors is a view finder. This one, called View Catcher, is really handy as it closes up nice and small to fit in my paintbox and the grey is a nice neutral, especially in bright sunshine.  When we were in college, we created view finders by cutting two L-shaped pieces of mat board (used for framing) but it was awkward as they would bend while travelling and required two hands.  This way I have a free hand to loosely sketch out my painting with a paintbrush.  They're especially handy when the vista is all so beautiful as it can be difficult for me to block out pieces and just focus on one area. It seems to help me quiet the outside visual 'noise'.  The simpler I make my plein air travel kit, the more often I actually use it.  That, to me, is success.