Painting With a Pochade Box

"Pochade" is a French word that translates to English as "sketch." In art-speak "pochade" is used to describe a relatively small, rough painting done in the field, sometimes to serve as the basis for a more elaborate studio work, sometimes to stand on its own. For the record (and in case you hadn't noticed) all my pochades are rough, and all stand on their own. I also drive a '98 Crown Vic.

For ye uninitiated -- a pochade box is a small (or small-ish), portable wooden box designed to be taken into the field to execute a pochade -- it's a "mobile painting studio" that usually includes storage space for brushes, paints, panels and maybe a ham sandwich. It always incorporates an easel and pallette set-up, and these days most such boxes are set up to sit on a folding tripod. It is one of the most nimble of all painting systems, even easier to lug around than the plein air French easel that invariably appears in your thought bubble, right next to the beret, when you ponder outdoor oil painting.

Pictured above is my pochade box in its open, "ready to paint" position. This is the "Bitterroot," hand-made by Ben Haggett of Alla Prima Pochade in Missoula, Montana. I placed a painting in the easel so you can see how it works. There's also, as you can see, a place to put your brushes while you're working. The flat surface serves as palette. I covered my palette with a cut-to-size piece of Lexan for easy clean-up. The two drawers are crammed with paints and other stuff.

Inside its specially-designed lid, the Bitterroot has slots for storing painting panels. Dry, ready-to-use panels are transported to the painting site inside the lid, and wet panels can be safely stashed there for the trip home. Above is a photo of the Bitterroot's panel storage lid. You can see two 8" x 10" panels and two 9" x 12" panels ready to go. Neat as a pin.

When you're ready to hit the road, the whole thing folds up into a nice, easy to carry package that you can pop into the car trunk or drop on the seat. The Bitterroot features tricky drawers that will not slide open when the box is fully shut -- a nice feature when you're in transit. Below right is the Bitterroot in its closed and locked position. As you can see, the box itself is a work of art. So if you get tired of painting, you can just sit there and admire your pochade box. I often do.

I highly recommend a pochade box if you get heavily into plein air painting. They make life easier. One word of warning: showing up to a painting site with a pochade box is like showing up to a bowling alley with your own ball -- there will be expectations. Don't worry about it -- art is not a competition!

I studied up on pochade boxes before purchasing the Bitterroot. There are a number of good ones on the market. I highly recommend all of Ben Haggett's products from Alla Prima Pochade. Ben is a plein air painter himself and has an intuitive sense for what you need out there. On top of everything else he's a great guy and very easy to do business with. Check out the Alla Prima Pochade website: http://allaprimapochade.com/. And no, I don't own stock in the company -- I just appreciate quality.

You will also want a good tripod. Most pochade boxes, including those from Alla Prima Pochade, will work with any standard photographic tripod. Fully loaded, my Bitterroot weighs in at a little over 8 lbs. (I pack heavy.) You'll want to make sure your tripod can handle the weight. I found that the "store brand" tripods from Calumet Photo are a very good bang for the buck. Here's the website: http://www.calumetphoto.com/.

There are lots of other little items you can collect. Those will be the subjects of future posts.