Back to Panels.

Sorry if the plein air festival keeps popping up in the next few entries of this journal. It’s still fresh in my mind, and honestly, a lot of the conversations and experiences from that week are still rattling around in my head.

One of those moments came from a conversation with my friend Truman, a fellow artist. We got to talking about masonite panels and how ridiculously affordable they are compared to buying pre-made panels from art stores. If you’ve been painting long enough, you know the struggle—art supplies add up fast. Canvas, linen, pre-made panels… it’s all beautiful, but it’s also expensive.

That conversation stuck with me.

It got me thinking about the early days when I started my 365-day goal of painting every single day a couple of years ago. Back then, I painted on panels a lot more. There’s something about them that just feels right. The surface is smooth, the brush glides differently, and the sturdiness is something I really miss. No bounce like stretched canvas, no worrying about puncturing it or the wind catching it when you’re out painting.

Right now I’m on a bit of a forced break because of my back, which has been frustrating to say the least. But the upside of stepping back for a minute is that it gives me time to think about what I want my process to look like moving forward.

And I think panels are going to be a big part of that.

Once I’m feeling better, I’m planning on prepping a whole stack of masonite panels—seriously, a ridiculous amount of them. Sand them, seal them, gesso them, the whole process. Then I want to make it a goal to head out and plein air paint using only panels for a while.

Here’s the idea: treat those panel paintings like studies. Quick, direct, honest paintings from life. If one of them really sings—if there’s something special about it—then I’ll take that painting and turn it into a larger piece later on canvas.

It feels like a simple system, but also a really freeing one.

Plein air has a way of stripping things down to the essentials anyway. You’re chasing light, atmosphere, color, and time. Panels seem like the perfect partner for that kind of work—durable, lightweight, and ready to take a beating from the elements.

So yeah… this idea has been sitting in my head ever since that conversation.

Thanks Truman for the inspiration, man. Sometimes all it takes is a simple artist-to-artist conversation to spark a whole new direction.

Now I just need my back to cooperate so I can get back out there and start cranking through a mountain of panels.