Dancer at Arneson Theater

I've started working on this painting of a young dancer who was practicing at the Arneson Theater the day Gaye Sekula, Kris Kelson and I spent walking around San Antonio.

Original SOLD. Giclee prints available at http://connie-schaertl.artistwebsites.com/

Inventing in preparation for travel

I'm excited about being able to participate in a Charles Gruppe workshop in Monaco and the French Riviera in October, but planning how to schlep all the art materials I'll need is a bit of a challenge. My French easel is just too bulky and unwieldy to take, but the only easel I really want, a Soltek, is outrageously expensive. Since I haven't been able to find anything lightweight that has a shelf for the palette, I've been forced into creating one.

Here are photos of my solution:

Hose clamps and L-shaped shelf supports are the only additions to the light-weight metal easel. The easel's plastic canvas panel holders are adjusted just above the tops of the L supports.

I set a palette on the shelf supports to act as a shelf. The easel's plastic canvas supports hold the top of the shelf in place.

This shows the L-shaped shelf supports held my hose clamps with the wooden palette topped by the baking pan I use as a travel palette. The baking pan can be slipped into a big zip-lock bag for transport. The paint will stay usable until the next day's session.