I finally got my notes in order from the workshop I took with Terry at the Franciscan Life Process Center in Lowell Michigan. These tips are what I wrote down during his slideshow and demonstrations. They are not from his book, as that would be stealing. Some of the tips he gave during those times may be in his book, but again, I am only writing from what I have in my notes from the workshop.
1. Plein Air sketches are not masterpieces. they are for;
capturing color notes,
color shapes,
collecting specific information
2. Photographs are for:
structural information
to use as a process-he enters the photo into a computer program and adjusts to 3-4 simple values to see which value plan he prefers
3. Paint big strong, interesting shapes
4. Paint only 3-4 values
5. Look for light and shadows-you need contrast if you can't find any-move !
6. Painting is a stage: see how light hits the planes (foreground/middle ground/background)
7. Lose an edge of every shape so your painting melds together
Stages of painting
1. Thin wash (this is easier to cover than thick and dries faster)
2. Opaque wash
3. Thick paint
Do thumbnails first before painting-the more you do, the more you see (the less scraping you will have to do and the less paintings you will throw away.
Pick the one you like and do it in a 3-4 value study and stick to it when painting
Do you need a sky? If not leave it out
Decide your focal point (who is your star?) and then everything else is to enhance it/point to it /support it /be subordinate to it
Your focal point can stand out by one or more( but not all) : value/contrast, thicker paint, harder edges, size,shape,- in relation to everything else in your painting.
Your focal point should be neither too big nor too small. (I picked a distant dead tree, and it was too little -the barn in front of me too big-so I'm going to remember Goldilock's' creed -It has to be "just right")
More tips next time and I will try to get permission from Terry to upload one of his paintings for the next post.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Business cards
For my upcoming event at Keller Williams on Oct. 15th I need business cards. The last time I personally ordered business cards for Art Prize in 2012 I ordered a LOT. I was in a venue that had not a lot of traffic and I came home with almost ALL of them. Then a month later we had to change our phone number...............so the business cards were no longer valid. I decided to be more savy this time around.
There are of course many on line ways to create and order business cards for a moderate price. That is good if you plan on handing out a lot and if you have a more static logo to use. If however, you are an artist you can feature your own art on your business card, and then you may want something more fluid.
I read about this in I'd Rather be in the Studio by Alyson B. Stanfield. It is an excellent resource for understanding, planning and promoting (your) art. I borrowed her book through an inter library loan, but you can find it on ebay, Amazon .com etc .However, you will pay a tidy sum for a used copy, because she is no longer printing her book. You can get her updated book in an instant download for less on her site at artbizcoach.com .
Sculpture John T. Unger is mentioned in Alyson's book . He keeps the text on his cards, but changes the images. When someone is interested in a particular work of his, he can hand them a card with that image and they can remember why they wanted it. Having several images on his cards gives him in his words "a mini-portfolio" of his more recent work. You can read more on his blog johntunger.com . After reading that about John, it sunk into my head that he is the son-in -law of my very good writing and walking friend, Katherine ! No, I have never met him, but I love his work. So, I went into Libre office on my computer to make my business cards. After MANY hours and frustration I called a friend in the printing business who agreed to help me. I toted along my laptop and we set to work. After an hour we gave up. She uses a wonderfully easy program called Quark, which I do not have. I went on Youtube, my husband's favorite site for help with repairs of any nature,and found a tutorial. Eureka! I was able to make a business card-going from Libre office to Youtube and back several times. It took the tutor only 18 minutes-it took me much, much longer. And the really sad part? The tutor was explaining the process in his third language-English.....It turns out though, that he could not get the "business card"option to work under Libre office so he created the business card under the "labels" option instead.
The moral is, if you don't know what you're doing and you don't want to spend days in frustration, see if there is a Youtube tutorial. Some viewers commented that the tutorial I used was boring, but for those of us almost computer illiterate it was just what I needed.
Once your card is designed, you have some other decisions. Will the card stock work on your printer ? Do you have enough ink ? Can you cut them so they look professional? Of course you can make them any size, but a standard size will make more recipients happy. I found out my local printing company will print them on their printer quite cheaply ( about 60cents /sheet and 10 cards per sheet depending on the card stock and number of colors) All I have to do is email or take in a PDF file. And I can pay $4.50 to have the sheets cut on their big professional cutting machine. It sounds like a deal, and I will be supporting a local business.
If you stop by at Keller Willaims at Rivertown Crossing in Grandville on Oct.15th, you can view my paintings and get my business card with an image of one of my paintings.
There are of course many on line ways to create and order business cards for a moderate price. That is good if you plan on handing out a lot and if you have a more static logo to use. If however, you are an artist you can feature your own art on your business card, and then you may want something more fluid.
I read about this in I'd Rather be in the Studio by Alyson B. Stanfield. It is an excellent resource for understanding, planning and promoting (your) art. I borrowed her book through an inter library loan, but you can find it on ebay, Amazon .com etc .However, you will pay a tidy sum for a used copy, because she is no longer printing her book. You can get her updated book in an instant download for less on her site at artbizcoach.com .
Sculpture John T. Unger is mentioned in Alyson's book . He keeps the text on his cards, but changes the images. When someone is interested in a particular work of his, he can hand them a card with that image and they can remember why they wanted it. Having several images on his cards gives him in his words "a mini-portfolio" of his more recent work. You can read more on his blog johntunger.com . After reading that about John, it sunk into my head that he is the son-in -law of my very good writing and walking friend, Katherine ! No, I have never met him, but I love his work. So, I went into Libre office on my computer to make my business cards. After MANY hours and frustration I called a friend in the printing business who agreed to help me. I toted along my laptop and we set to work. After an hour we gave up. She uses a wonderfully easy program called Quark, which I do not have. I went on Youtube, my husband's favorite site for help with repairs of any nature,and found a tutorial. Eureka! I was able to make a business card-going from Libre office to Youtube and back several times. It took the tutor only 18 minutes-it took me much, much longer. And the really sad part? The tutor was explaining the process in his third language-English.....It turns out though, that he could not get the "business card"option to work under Libre office so he created the business card under the "labels" option instead.
The moral is, if you don't know what you're doing and you don't want to spend days in frustration, see if there is a Youtube tutorial. Some viewers commented that the tutorial I used was boring, but for those of us almost computer illiterate it was just what I needed.
Once your card is designed, you have some other decisions. Will the card stock work on your printer ? Do you have enough ink ? Can you cut them so they look professional? Of course you can make them any size, but a standard size will make more recipients happy. I found out my local printing company will print them on their printer quite cheaply ( about 60cents /sheet and 10 cards per sheet depending on the card stock and number of colors) All I have to do is email or take in a PDF file. And I can pay $4.50 to have the sheets cut on their big professional cutting machine. It sounds like a deal, and I will be supporting a local business.
If you stop by at Keller Willaims at Rivertown Crossing in Grandville on Oct.15th, you can view my paintings and get my business card with an image of one of my paintings.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Brush washer container
In my studio when I paint my container for cleaning brushes is one my sister gave me for Christmas over
40 years ago. It is a glass jar with a wire coil inside and a screw on lid. It works great, but I was skeptical of taking it to plein air paint. Sure, I could adapt it to hang somehow but, what if I dropped it and it broke or even cracked-not a good idea to have odorless mineral spirits spilling onto the ground. Now they sell nifty containers to attach to your set up. They're metal containers with metal handles and a lid, but they cost -be still my heart-$20!
I tried fitting my glass brush cleaner in a coffee can. The new small cans are made out of cardboard. The bigger coffee cans are actually metal but too cumbersome for outside of your studio.
A week or so earlier I received an email from Margo Burian (margoburian.net)about a wash container she devised. She used a new paint can, a sink stopper and a sink screen. It looked like a great idea. I bought the stopper, the screen and went to my friendly Sherwin-Willaims paint store for a paint can. Well, a gallon was way too large to take, but a quart can was just the right size and all aluminum (as was the gallon). Sadly, the gallon comes with a metal handle but not the quart cans! and why not? Surely, even thought they are small, a handle would still be helpful to carry them from storage to wherever you're painting-even in your home? The price was right-free-so I thought I'll devise a handle. Home to create the perfect plein air brush washer container.
First thing I found out was my drain stopper did not fit inside the can. Should have looked at Margo's idea a little closer. Since one of my kitchen sink stoppers was cracked all was not lost, money for it was not down the drain (haha) and I put it in my sink. The screen also did not fit, but made of thinner material with a handy pair of pliers I was able to bend it , and change it from a nice circle to a free form rounded mesh which did fit inside the can. The mesh is good because then the particles go below and the solvent is clear above.
An old spoon could be used to pry open the lid, and a small ball peen hammer would knock it tightly closed. The hammer would not take up too much space in my bag and the spoon rested nicely beside the can in the basket.. BUT-how to attach it to my set up? If I punched holes in the can for a wire handle then I'd have leakage so to the dollar store I went.
There I supported China and bought two plastic baskets for $1. (Naturally, you could not buy only one). I looped a chain through the spaces in one of them and connected the chain to itself with small s-hooks which I tightened with pliers and then taped with electrical tape.
The basket was a little big for the can-so I wrapped foil around the can and then it was secure. It was a little bigger than I wanted but at least it was light weight and could be attached to the cart with bungee cords rather then take up space nside my carry bag.
When painting I attached the chain over a big "S" hook which I hooked over the side of my paint box. In the picture you'll see shoe laces to make it less tippy but I didn't need them.
40 years ago. It is a glass jar with a wire coil inside and a screw on lid. It works great, but I was skeptical of taking it to plein air paint. Sure, I could adapt it to hang somehow but, what if I dropped it and it broke or even cracked-not a good idea to have odorless mineral spirits spilling onto the ground. Now they sell nifty containers to attach to your set up. They're metal containers with metal handles and a lid, but they cost -be still my heart-$20!
I tried fitting my glass brush cleaner in a coffee can. The new small cans are made out of cardboard. The bigger coffee cans are actually metal but too cumbersome for outside of your studio.
A week or so earlier I received an email from Margo Burian (margoburian.net)about a wash container she devised. She used a new paint can, a sink stopper and a sink screen. It looked like a great idea. I bought the stopper, the screen and went to my friendly Sherwin-Willaims paint store for a paint can. Well, a gallon was way too large to take, but a quart can was just the right size and all aluminum (as was the gallon). Sadly, the gallon comes with a metal handle but not the quart cans! and why not? Surely, even thought they are small, a handle would still be helpful to carry them from storage to wherever you're painting-even in your home? The price was right-free-so I thought I'll devise a handle. Home to create the perfect plein air brush washer container.
First thing I found out was my drain stopper did not fit inside the can. Should have looked at Margo's idea a little closer. Since one of my kitchen sink stoppers was cracked all was not lost, money for it was not down the drain (haha) and I put it in my sink. The screen also did not fit, but made of thinner material with a handy pair of pliers I was able to bend it , and change it from a nice circle to a free form rounded mesh which did fit inside the can. The mesh is good because then the particles go below and the solvent is clear above.
An old spoon could be used to pry open the lid, and a small ball peen hammer would knock it tightly closed. The hammer would not take up too much space in my bag and the spoon rested nicely beside the can in the basket.. BUT-how to attach it to my set up? If I punched holes in the can for a wire handle then I'd have leakage so to the dollar store I went.
There I supported China and bought two plastic baskets for $1. (Naturally, you could not buy only one). I looped a chain through the spaces in one of them and connected the chain to itself with small s-hooks which I tightened with pliers and then taped with electrical tape.
The basket was a little big for the can-so I wrapped foil around the can and then it was secure. It was a little bigger than I wanted but at least it was light weight and could be attached to the cart with bungee cords rather then take up space nside my carry bag.
When painting I attached the chain over a big "S" hook which I hooked over the side of my paint box. In the picture you'll see shoe laces to make it less tippy but I didn't need them.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Wet Canvas Carrier
Today I'm showing my wet canvas carrier. I saw some posts on WetCanvas in the Plein Air Hall of Fame section which showed various artists' home made carriers. Some used foam core, some used picture frames.
I used a sturdy box . I chose the box because it opened on the top, was taller than it was wide and not too deep. Although, it could have been a few inches thinner.It took up a lot of room on the tote cart. It can hold about six panels, but for me that is way more than I need. Because: 1.I'm not generally going too far from my car so I could put some on the floor on plastic 2. I am returning home after I paint so I don't need to store them over night or for more than the trip home. 3. I am not a prolific plein air painter. I do two paintings 9x12 and then I am worn out, so i didn't need so much space. So if you're going to make one, consider your needs carefully.
I also chose this box because it was coated in plastic. Therefore, I could set it on wet ground without it decaying. And the plastic made it sturdier.
It was free. We purchased something from e-bay and it was mailed in this box.
I bought four rectangular dowels at Menards and my BIL cut them in 15" pieces. (I had one already)I glued the strips with wood glue in my box, two at a time. I had no clamps so I had to rely on the glue and some books to weigh them down until they were adhered. Then I flipped the box and did the other end. Last, I used some foamcore I had as spacers and glued in the last supports.Obviously, you want your wooden dowels to be the height of your box and the number and spacing depends on how thick your panels will be. I use very thin-1/8 inch panels.
Now, the box was bigger than the 9x12 panels , but not big enough for 12x16. However,I
I don't paint that big plein air so that was okay EXCEPT the small panels would not stay against the supports since they were smaller. So, I cut cardboard the size of the box and inserted it against the support. Then I applied very small velcro pads to the corners of the painted panels. This allowed the panels to rest against the cardboard , but the paint was not disturbed. Last, I drilled holes close to the top between the wooden supports and used a rope -a very thinnish rope
for a handle.
This photo does not show the rope, but I am sure you can imagine it.
I used a sturdy box . I chose the box because it opened on the top, was taller than it was wide and not too deep. Although, it could have been a few inches thinner.It took up a lot of room on the tote cart. It can hold about six panels, but for me that is way more than I need. Because: 1.I'm not generally going too far from my car so I could put some on the floor on plastic 2. I am returning home after I paint so I don't need to store them over night or for more than the trip home. 3. I am not a prolific plein air painter. I do two paintings 9x12 and then I am worn out, so i didn't need so much space. So if you're going to make one, consider your needs carefully.
I also chose this box because it was coated in plastic. Therefore, I could set it on wet ground without it decaying. And the plastic made it sturdier.
It was free. We purchased something from e-bay and it was mailed in this box.
I bought four rectangular dowels at Menards and my BIL cut them in 15" pieces. (I had one already)I glued the strips with wood glue in my box, two at a time. I had no clamps so I had to rely on the glue and some books to weigh them down until they were adhered. Then I flipped the box and did the other end. Last, I used some foamcore I had as spacers and glued in the last supports.Obviously, you want your wooden dowels to be the height of your box and the number and spacing depends on how thick your panels will be. I use very thin-1/8 inch panels.
Now, the box was bigger than the 9x12 panels , but not big enough for 12x16. However,I
for a handle.
This photo does not show the rope, but I am sure you can imagine it.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
plein air with Terry Miura
So, Friday, Saturday and Sunday(11,12,13th) I spent with the fabulous painter Terry Miura (pronounced Meera) and nine(if I counted right) other students. He is an excellent teacher-explaining why he is doing what he is doing-whether it is mixing a new pile of paint, scraping off a drawing when the angle of the building wasn't quite right etc. However, like all great painters he had one big fault-he made it look EASY ! Watching him and listening to him, I understand what he is saying, I hear what he is saying, I watch him execute what he is saying, and then I go paint and although his words resonate in my head-my eyes and hand do not cooperate...............
I needed more paint, to apply the paint , not push the paint-lay it on delicately -you don't want to disturb the color underneath or you get mud-(enough to build a wall with bricks in my case-hah) .
And we saw beautiful slides of his paintings, got to see actual small paintings-he gets so MUCH information on a 9"x12". and if you go on his web site (www.terrymiura.com) you can see he not only is an accomplished landscape painter, but he also paints beautiful cityscapes and wonderful figures. No wonder he has students that study with him for many years.
The weather was fairly cold and mostly overcast, but no rain only a few spits. We painted at the Fransiscan Center the first day, at a nearby farm the second-very kind hostess-even made us cookies!-and at a bed and breakfast along the river on Sunday. The Fransiscan Center was having a work weekend so they made their workers cinnamon rolls and there were extras for us to have also. And their first apples were ripe so they generously allowed us to sample them too. Folks, this was not the place to start a new diet ! During your time at the center-if you take a class there- Kathy Bechtal, the art director, also provides coffee, water and chocolate chip cookies......What torture to be diabetic !
We had an international group-three from West Michigan , one from OH, one from WI, two from CAN, Terry and a gal from CA (and she was born in Russia) and I think Terry said he was born in Japan.And another gentleman I didn't hear where he was from, and another man from IL.
I wasn't tired the three days, but Monday I was exhausted. I am slowly recovering .
Some things worked well, others didn't-they're for the next blog. Glad I could paint close to my car.Got a great book Terry wrote with his tips that he gives to his workshop students.
Look at values, compare values on your canvas and more.It's all highlighted, now to get it so it reverberates in my head while I paint. Lots of concentration required, You must apply your paint purposefully and mix it right.Close, is not good enough.. I got my copy signed.here he is doing a demo on Sunday and the pic he was kind enough to take with me.
Thank you Terry for teaching such a good workshop !
.
I needed more paint, to apply the paint , not push the paint-lay it on delicately -you don't want to disturb the color underneath or you get mud-(enough to build a wall with bricks in my case-hah) .
And we saw beautiful slides of his paintings, got to see actual small paintings-he gets so MUCH information on a 9"x12". and if you go on his web site (www.terrymiura.com) you can see he not only is an accomplished landscape painter, but he also paints beautiful cityscapes and wonderful figures. No wonder he has students that study with him for many years.
The weather was fairly cold and mostly overcast, but no rain only a few spits. We painted at the Fransiscan Center the first day, at a nearby farm the second-very kind hostess-even made us cookies!-and at a bed and breakfast along the river on Sunday. The Fransiscan Center was having a work weekend so they made their workers cinnamon rolls and there were extras for us to have also. And their first apples were ripe so they generously allowed us to sample them too. Folks, this was not the place to start a new diet ! During your time at the center-if you take a class there- Kathy Bechtal, the art director, also provides coffee, water and chocolate chip cookies......What torture to be diabetic !
We had an international group-three from West Michigan , one from OH, one from WI, two from CAN, Terry and a gal from CA (and she was born in Russia) and I think Terry said he was born in Japan.And another gentleman I didn't hear where he was from, and another man from IL.
I wasn't tired the three days, but Monday I was exhausted. I am slowly recovering .
Some things worked well, others didn't-they're for the next blog. Glad I could paint close to my car.Got a great book Terry wrote with his tips that he gives to his workshop students.
Thank you Terry for teaching such a good workshop !
.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
update on plein air prep
Day two of prep and Many, Many hours later I think I have got it-of course it depends how windy it will be.
First I would like to say the tripod/pochade' box is a much faster set up that the plein air easel. I seriously thought of using it instead until I remembered Someone wanting to look at stars altered my tripod so it no longer held static in a level position. I think I had to put J.B. Weld in a crucial spot to make it rigid and that someone broke the weld.
The umbrella contraption with plastic conduit was too cumbersome and did not seem all that sturdy-and I have no desire to secure it with tent stakes if I don't have to-(all that bending ........not to mention keeping my balance and swinging a hammer.) Also,it took up too much room on the rolling cart. You can see in the photos how big it is. Also the umbrella kept breaking "spokes" so it had to be thrown out. I did learn you can paint an umbrella.
A gal on WetCanvas forum said she used car windshield sunscreens , but I couldn't find any at Meijers. I did have black foam core board , some silver foil soft foam core material (used in packaging some medical stuff that my sister Karolyn gave me). I scored the black foam core so it would bend and duct taped the silver to the top.The silver will reflect the sun and the black keep too much light from bouncing on the canvas.
I drilled one hole in the back, two on the front sides and tied them to the easels legs and through a board and legs in the rear with shoelaces.
Seems to work well INSIDE-don't know about outside, It'll be lighter to carry and easier to set up so I hope it works.The last pic shows the silver top. In the easel pic you can see a red bag on the back added for weight. (recognize the material Janet?)The leather container once held binoculars but the top broke. I put in two plastic "cool aid" containers and attached a strap. This will hold my brushes. I bought new plein air brushes that are 23 " long! Not what I am used to. The blue topped container holds my glass palette.
I'll show the brush cleaner I made next time and show it all packed on the cart.
Thanks great niece Schuyler for helping me load the photos !
First I would like to say the tripod/pochade' box is a much faster set up that the plein air easel. I seriously thought of using it instead until I remembered Someone wanting to look at stars altered my tripod so it no longer held static in a level position. I think I had to put J.B. Weld in a crucial spot to make it rigid and that someone broke the weld.
The umbrella contraption with plastic conduit was too cumbersome and did not seem all that sturdy-and I have no desire to secure it with tent stakes if I don't have to-(all that bending ........not to mention keeping my balance and swinging a hammer.) Also,it took up too much room on the rolling cart. You can see in the photos how big it is. Also the umbrella kept breaking "spokes" so it had to be thrown out. I did learn you can paint an umbrella.
A gal on WetCanvas forum said she used car windshield sunscreens , but I couldn't find any at Meijers. I did have black foam core board , some silver foil soft foam core material (used in packaging some medical stuff that my sister Karolyn gave me). I scored the black foam core so it would bend and duct taped the silver to the top.The silver will reflect the sun and the black keep too much light from bouncing on the canvas.
I'll show the brush cleaner I made next time and show it all packed on the cart.
Thanks great niece Schuyler for helping me load the photos !
Monday, September 7, 2015
First Post
I'm preparing for a Plein Air workshop at The Franciscan Life Process Center in Lowell, Michigan. (www.lifeprocesscenter.org/visualarts-workshops.htm) I never imagined I could take workshops near my home from such accomplished artists as Kathy Bechtel , Art Director, has lined up. If only I had money to take all that I am interested in !
The instructor for the workshop I have signed up for is Terry Miura.- www.terrymiura.com. I signed up for the workshop and then realized one of his paintings is featured in an art book I own -Landscape Painting by Mitchell Albala. I'm going to take my book and see if Terry will be kind enough to sign his name by his featured painting Into the Valley. It is a great example on linear perspective.
This evening when I have some shadows to paint I'm going out in my backyard to do a little Plein Air painting and try out my set up before the workshop. Last year I used a pochade box attached to a tripod. The box I have had for almost 50 years, the tripod , not so long. But it was somewhat wobbly so I got a plein air easel at Hobby Lobby with their 40% off coupon. It might be heavy to haul over "hill and dale" but I'm putting it on a luggage cart and not going too far. It is sturdier than my previous set up. So then of course, I had to figure out new hanging devices etc for brushes, brush cleaning fluid, paper towels etc. But the biggest trial was an umbrella. Not sure if I will even use it , but hey I'm entering the big time so thought I'll try it. I was given a small black umbrella so I painted the outside silver(to reflect the sun), then dismantled a laundry unit of it's plastic conduit/pipe and reassembled it to attach the umbrella to-with clamps and bungee cord. It works fine in my den where there's no wind-so there will be a trial run with it tonight. And we get a lot of wind here so it should be a good indicator-not like being on the beach at lake Michigan, but more than in town. I bought some camping type stakes to anchor to the ground.(can't forget the hammer!)
One good idea I have":I use a glass palette and need a small paint scraper-the kind you put in a razor blade in. But I didn't want the razor to cut paint tubes or whatever in traveling -so I found an old eye glass case (hard plastic kind) and the scraper with the blade fits in it perfectly. Protection and no need to take a little screwdriver -to lose-to put the blade in and out.
I'll take pics of my setup tonight and post the next time with information on what was successful or a failure or not a rousing success , but not a cast off idea either.
The instructor for the workshop I have signed up for is Terry Miura.- www.terrymiura.com. I signed up for the workshop and then realized one of his paintings is featured in an art book I own -Landscape Painting by Mitchell Albala. I'm going to take my book and see if Terry will be kind enough to sign his name by his featured painting Into the Valley. It is a great example on linear perspective.
This evening when I have some shadows to paint I'm going out in my backyard to do a little Plein Air painting and try out my set up before the workshop. Last year I used a pochade box attached to a tripod. The box I have had for almost 50 years, the tripod , not so long. But it was somewhat wobbly so I got a plein air easel at Hobby Lobby with their 40% off coupon. It might be heavy to haul over "hill and dale" but I'm putting it on a luggage cart and not going too far. It is sturdier than my previous set up. So then of course, I had to figure out new hanging devices etc for brushes, brush cleaning fluid, paper towels etc. But the biggest trial was an umbrella. Not sure if I will even use it , but hey I'm entering the big time so thought I'll try it. I was given a small black umbrella so I painted the outside silver(to reflect the sun), then dismantled a laundry unit of it's plastic conduit/pipe and reassembled it to attach the umbrella to-with clamps and bungee cord. It works fine in my den where there's no wind-so there will be a trial run with it tonight. And we get a lot of wind here so it should be a good indicator-not like being on the beach at lake Michigan, but more than in town. I bought some camping type stakes to anchor to the ground.(can't forget the hammer!)
One good idea I have":I use a glass palette and need a small paint scraper-the kind you put in a razor blade in. But I didn't want the razor to cut paint tubes or whatever in traveling -so I found an old eye glass case (hard plastic kind) and the scraper with the blade fits in it perfectly. Protection and no need to take a little screwdriver -to lose-to put the blade in and out.
I'll take pics of my setup tonight and post the next time with information on what was successful or a failure or not a rousing success , but not a cast off idea either.
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