Please join Leslie Watkins
at the Norfolk Library for an Exhibition of
Watercolors and Small Works
December 1st ~ 31st, 2012
Watercolors and Small Works
December 1st ~ 31st, 2012
Opening Reception December 2nd, 4:00 to 6:00PM
9 Greenwoods Road East, Norfolk, CT (860) 542-5075
“The Painter”, 4.5” x 6”, oil on prepared paper, © Leslie Watkins, 2012
The Pochade Box
The Pochade Box
Many of the paintings in this exhibition are smaller than 8” x 10”. Some of the oils were done in a pochade box, also called a thumb box. The word pochade is French for a rough or a quickly executed sketch or study. The little boxes which are designed to be held in your hand as you work are sometimes modified cigar boxes. They make it easier to paint outdoors by not having to lug around a lot of heavy painting equipment. Originally used by 17th and 18th century landscape artists, they captured ideas and views that would later be used in the studio to create larger compositions. The small studies often possess a liveliness and spontaneity that studio pictures lack. The studies are painted on rag paper or board, prepared with a traditional gesso mixture that provides an archival surface. It is then toned to facilitate fast painting. A palette knife is often used to further speed the painting process.
