There’s a special place that hundreds of us got to visit recently, where the actual manufacturers of favorite art supplies were there in person to answer questions, show us their latest products, and be full-on art enablers. It was in the Expo Hall of the Plein Air Convention (aka PACE; we were in Santa Fe for this one – the next is in Denver, Colorado!).
I had the pleasure of meeting with the makers of some of your favorite art supplies, and some goodies that you might have not even heard of yet. Here, you’ll find the most popular products from PACE!
Art Supplies for Plein Air Painters
Paint Brushes by Princeton
Princeton’s Aspen™ Travel Brushes can be used with all acrylic and oil paints including water-soluble oils. They’re available in a 4-brush set and individually (Round 2, Filbert 4, Angle Bright 6, and Flat 6).
Website: dixonticonderogacompany.com
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The Pisa Frame
Masterworks was on-site to provide frames to our hundreds of attendees. The Pisa frame is one of their most popular choices.
Website: masterworksframes.com
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Leather Brush Roll
New with us this year was MstrSktch, which offers a brush roll that hangs on your easel.
Website: mstrsktch.com
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Plein Air Linen Artist Panels
From Multimedia Artboard, these Clasessens 100% Belgium linen panels come in a variety of sizes in packs or pads with five panels.
Website: multimediaartboard.com
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Art Video Workshops
The Plein Air Store in the Expo Hall had plenty of goodies available: art video workshops, aprons for plein air painting, hats, Value Specs, and more.
Website: painttube.tv
More Critical Art Supplies: Colors and Paints
Williamsburg Oils
At the Golden Artist Colors booth, the Williamsburg Oils were the most popular item, with QoR watercolors and the Open Acrylics worth mentioning as well.
Website: goldenpaints.com
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Grayscale Munsell Notations
Grackle Studio by Graydon Parrish provides paints that are based on the Munsell Color System and organized by hue, value, and chroma.
Website: grackle.studio
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Michael Harding’s Kings Blue Light
“This name was given by English manufacturers to Smalt, a Cobalt-based pigment that was used in the 16th -17th centuries as a less expensive alternative to Lapis Lazuli. Unfortunately, Smalt was prone to fade into a light grey, as some Veronese skies demonstrate. But the introduction of Ultramarine Blue made the original Smalt formula obsolete, and so I offer a completely reliable substitute blend that evokes the aerial effects of the great Venetian decorators.”
Website: michaelharding.co
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Transparent Oxide Red
This Cobra oil color from Royal Talens outbeats even their white, and not just in New Mexico during PACE.
Website: royaltalens.com
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Sennelier Pastels
At Savoir-Faire, the Sennelier pastels range caught a lot of attention. “It took over three years, at the turn of the 20th Century, to formulate the Sennelier range of Extra Soft Pastels ‘à l’écu’ and thus to create one of the largest chromatic ranges of pastels. Throughout the century, this range of tones has evolved, but the heart of its making remains unchanged.”
Website: savoirfaire.com
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New Colors From Winsor & Newton
“We don’t add colors lightly.” ~ Sarah Clark of Winsor & Newton
Website: winsornewton.com
Stay tuned ~ Many of the items listed here are included in an upcoming prize giveaway we’re hosting here at OutdoorPainter! Sign up for the Plein Air Today newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out!
Visit EricRhoads.com to find out all the amazing opportunities for artists through Streamline Publishing, including:
– Online art conferences such as Plein Air Live
– New video workshops for artists
– Incredible art retreats
– Educational and fun art conventions, and much more.
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