Pochade Box
The pochade box was made from recycled oak solids, plywood and hardboard and equipped with a glass palette. This sits below the lid allowing it to be closed without touching any wet paint on the palette. The glass is backed with a panel painted in a mid-tone grey to aid with colour mixing. Below the palette is the storage for paint tubes, brushes, mediums and other miscellaneous items such as pliers, essential for removing those stuck-on tube caps. Stays are installed to lock the lid in the open position (about 95 degrees). A small adjustable easel is attached to the lid. The sides fold down to reveal a compartment for storing Masonite or canvas covered panels or wet paintings (see photos below). The sides act as shelves for setting medium pots, brush cleaners, etc. and the right side is drilled with angled holes of various sizes to hold wet brushes.
The spacing of the lid support stays and the sizing of the easel allows for paintings up to a maximum 12" x 16" landscape or portrait format. By reversing the centre adjustable portion of the easel it can be adjusted down to essentially zero. The underside of the box has a threaded connection to allow the attachment of a tripod for those plein-air painting adventures. It also works if rested on your lap sitting under the tailgate of your SUV.
These photos show the storage capability of the lower compartment. The first photo shows storage of two paintings 12" x 16"; the second shows a slide-in spacer which stores two 11" x 14" size and the third shows the possibility to store four 8" x 10" size. Other sizes are possible since the slide-in spacer is a friction fit inside the compartment and therefore fully adjustable. The top of the box has a veneer of poplar wood, chosen for its shades of green, red, purple and yellow - perfect for an artist's box. Hardware is from my local Lee Valley store but can be purchased on-line. The finish is a couple of coats of walnut alkyd medium from my painting supplies.