Monday, July 10, 2017

Jamie's Wyeth's Box


Jamie Wyeth painting in Maine, 1994. Photo by David Alan Harvey
Painting outside is a public spectacle. People like to stop and watch and chat, which can be OK most of the time. But what do you do when you want to screen out those distractions? Jamie Wyeth has a novel solution, according to Daniel Grant:
'Perhaps winning the prize for oddest looking is Jamie Wyeth who kneels inside a four-foot high, seven-foot long three-sided wooden bait box when he goes outside to paint on Monhegan Island, Maine. (He puts a heater in during cold weather.) “My box is mainly for privacy,” he said, noting that “I find it extremely bothersome when people talk to me while I’m painting. If I don’t say anything to them when they ask a question, or if I tell them I don’t like to talk while I’m working, then I feel terrible that I’ve been rude. Inside the box, people see that I clearly don’t want to talk, and they eventually scurry away.'
Related posts:
Top Ten Ways to Deal with Curious Spectators 
The Problem of Curious Spectators
'Can I Borrow Your Paintbrush?'
Your Experiences with Spectators

5 comments:

bernicky said...

Clever that - like the part about the heater in the winter. I'd think the OriginalPods that I've seen popping up here and there might soon make their way into some plein air peoples cars.

Jared Cullum said...

I bought a camping mini "cabana" for my kids to have at the beach and stuff. I've thought about using it for plein air painting haha. It's a small pack that folds out into a small tent with no front for about 2 people.

Rich said...

That's somewhat "out of the box"..:o)

Jennifer Rose said...

thats actually a good idea. I live in an arty area and I've never actually had anyone stop to ask me a question about what I am doing. Probably because they are so use to people drawing outside. Actually wait, I have had one person ask me a question, but it was a question on how to get to the nearest golf course, nothing to do with art lol

kateri ewing said...

One would imagine that a man in a box might draw more attention than a man painting. Nonetheless, love Jamie Wyeth, and I love your blog. Thanks :)