Strada Mini for Watermedia

The Strada Mini has worked well for my casein painting out of doors – and in the studio. I cut down a Masterson’s Sta-Wet sponge and palette paper to fit on top of the acrylic palette that came with the Mini. This setup (and an EasyL umbrella) keeps my paint moist while painting (a real problem with gouache, casein and acrylic paint.) When finished, I slide the closed up Mini into a 2 gallon Ziploc – and then into my backpack. Back at the studio, the bagged pochade box is stored in the refrigerator to keep my casein paint fresh for the next painting session. I have no problem biking in to sites with the Mini – and the set up time is only a couple of minutes before I’m ready to go. Before the Mini I was painting at a classic oak, full French easel. It took a while to get used to the palette being situated so close to the painting. But the advantages of having a bike-able box plus a continuously moist palette has made it all worth it. I’d like to thank Mike Hernandez (aka @Squatchgouache) for introducing me to the idea of using the Mini with watermedia.