Finding the Right Bag for Plein Air...for 99 cents!

'The Magic of Early Morning'    8x10      pastel       ©Karen Margulis purchase here $95

I've complained about this before. I just can't seem to find the right bag to cart around my supplies for plein air. I admit I am a Bag Lady. I can't resist a nice backpack or suitcase or bag. But I never seem to have the right one for the job. Since my last two plein air experiences with oils I have been looking for a bag that would fit everything including my tripod.  I am tired of walking around with a backpack, paintbox and tripod without my hands free.  I've gotten a few great suggestions from my readers and art friends and I was all set to pay $100 for a new Kelty Redwing backpack that came highly recommended. That is until I found this:

My new plein air bag for oil painting

This roomy messenger style bag fits all my painting supplies with room to spare. I got my EasyL easel box, Raymar 6x8 wet panel carrier, and all my misc supplies in the two compartments. It has two outside pockets for my wipes and water. My tripod goes into a bag and fits on top of the other stuff.  The large padded strap allows me to comfortably carry the bag across my body which gives me free hands. I did a trial run and I think it is going to work well for painting at the lake this summer.
The best part of this bag is the price.....I got it at my favorite thrift store for 99 cents!  Yes you read that right....instead of $99 I got a bag for just 99 cents. (it was really $1.99 but it was half price day at the thrift store!) Now that I am $98 richer I will head to Blicks to see what else I might need!

Today's painting is a pastel demo I did for my Wednesday night class.  Our lesson was on avoiding homeostasis or having things too orderly and regular. It is easy to make things to regular with shadow patterns and tree lines so this was a great exercise. More on this in a future post.