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It was the first time I had visited the country and we started from the north near Apulia, and worked our way south to the Algarve. Outside of the cities, Portugal and California look very similar. From the ubiquitous eucalyptus trees, to the cliffs looking down on an ocean teaming with surfers, to the rolling hills with golden grass and cork trees (which look like California live oaks), to the traditional whitewashed architecture which is similar to the Spanish colonial buildings, there were many times when I did a double-take to remember where I was. As pretty as Lisbon and Porto are, we didn’t spend a lot of time in the bigger cities as we were traveling with a dog and the smaller towns and countryside were more manageable.

I added extra layers of carbon fiber, as well as the pre-made carbon fiber bits and wood slats in sensitive areas, such as where it hooks to the mast and where the hinges would go, respectively. Next I added final layers of carbon fiber (and epoxy), wrapped it with perforated release film and breather cloth, and and stuck it all in a vacuum bag. For the panel holders I first wrapped tin foil around the mast to give some space, then wrapped that with release film, then wrapped carbon fiber again (with a bolt in the middle for the butterfly screw) and stuck it in a vacuum bag. For the attachment on my Senz umbrella, I similarly wrapped both the cut-down umbrella shaft and the mast in carbon fiber, stuck them both into a vacuum bag, and then sanded everything down.

I’ve been interested in developing a lightweight set-up for plein air painting and I feel I’ve finally achieved my goal. At the moment my backpack with gear for a day of plein air painting has a base-weight of around 8lbs, or under 4kg. I’ve been interested in developing a lightweight set-up for plein air painting and I feel I’ve finally achieved my goal. My next goal is to get a similar set-up for carrying and working on very large plein air landscapes and I’ve almost got that working as well, so stay tuned.

You can hear it here, or subscribe to the PleinAir Podcast on iTunes (or wherever you get your podcasts): Edgar Payne The Scenic Journey Paintings of California Plein Air Painters of California - The North Plein Air Painters of California: The Southland Artists at Continent's End: The Monterey Peninsula Art Colony, 1875-1907 This website uses Wordpress and Google Analytics, plus other plug-ins for media and (believe it or not) to speed up the site. Because of the new EU GDPR regulations, I have to warn you and you have to say you're cool with it.