Minimalist oil painting

I have been wanting to take my oil painting outdoors for a while. But I felt that it was impractical with the amount of equipment that is often involved. There's the palette, the canvas, an easel, several brushes, a palette knife, paint thinner, refined linseed oil, some rags, and the paints. The thought of carrying all of that stuff somewhere so that I could paint was discouraging. I craved the simplicity of sketching, where all I need is a sketchbook and a pen. I had put the entire idea aside of doing something portable with painting. That was until I watched a video by Rachael Broadwell, an American artist who had implemented a very compact way of painting with oils. 

Stealthy, Minimalist Plein Air Setup for Oils or Acrylics

The entire equipment list is: 

• a small panel to paint on; 
• a palette; 
• two small but strong clips; 
• a painting knife; 
• four tubes of paint; 
• one tube of alkyd gel (optional); 
• a rag;  
• a sketchbook; and 
• a marker or pencil.

When in use, the panel is attached to the edge of the palette with the clips. All of the painting and mixing is done with the one painting knife. The cleaning is done with the rag. A preliminary composition sketch can be made in the sketchbook, or alternatively, the composition could be lightly outlined directly on the panel with either paint. 

This setup is compact in use, and even more compact in transportation with everything fitting into a small backpack. It completely removes my concerns about carrying a lot of equipment to go painting. I have tested the setup a few times in the backyard and it works really well. The only thing to keep in mind is that I have to carefully carry the completed painting back to the car as the paint will still be wet. 

Using this setup has made painting more fun than ever. I'm loving it! It keeps art simple. Just a few bits of gear and a dream.