Getting COLD!

Today something else, while its getting colder I've got the question how to keep painting?

 

There are several thing you could do to stay warm and keep your paint working. First of all, clothing use wool / Marino wool this holds te warmth better when wet then cotton up to 80% of the isolation is kept by wool as for cotton this is only 30% . wear good boots, most of the cold is coming from the ground. you can wear fishing boots, but I like to wear huntingboots (Muckboots©) cause they are more suitable for strolling around and are more protected against thorns or heather ect. On the other side, wear a hat, cap or what ever, ... most heat is getting lost through your head, inmagine your neck and head like a chimney sucking the warmth right out of your body. As for the hands wear fingergloves where you cut of the three fingers you need to hold your brushes, ... some use mitten and stick the brushes through them, I'll reckond both could work together as well.

 

Cold Willow. Doetinchem The Netherlands.

Oil on panel. 24 x 30 cm.

 

There are lots of aids to keep your hands warm, such as Hand-Warmers there are several models, Chemical ones, fuel burners and coalburners. I used the Charcoal one for some times but I didn't like the fact that they stop burning when you don't move so while you paint they getting less and less usefull, ... the fuel burner one I used last winter and almost torched a caffee with it! You can't see if the're burning and when they do you can't stop them!! which was quite dangerous when it burns more then you want, .... The chemical ones are the simpelest once you flick the metal coin inside and voíla heath!! They tend to go lazy after a while tho, but then again now fire needed and now danger of self-combustion. 

 

More info on the Handwarmers:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_warmer

 

 

For the pochade I use a so called Thermobag,

 

This because the paint tend to go a little crumble with low temperatures especially the white can't go much deeper then -10 dgr. C I warm up the pochade befor I leave on the heating and keep it as much as possible in the thermo bag. The same I do with my turp which tend to get less resolving power when getting cold. Sigg© has some nice Neopreen pouches for their waterbotles nowadays which suites the fuelbottles for MSR© nicely as well, this way I try to keep my stuff as warm as possible. 

 

Last but surely not least, DON'T paint a 1000 miles from the nearest choco!! In the end you will get cold, believe me standing still (more or less) for serveral hours will cool you down what ever you do, so a nice cup of hot chocomilk after a painting session is well worth it !!

 

For the rest I think it's al innovation, so if you have some nice ideas please share them!!