I was painting in the Absaroka Mountains about 20 miles outside of Dubois, Wyoming. This is where they relocate the “bad” Grizzly Bears from Yellowstone. I was attending the SKB Workshop and each morning a group of plein air painters would set off before sunrise and return in time for breakfast. We had to paint quickly. I was surprised to see that some in the group were armed in case of bear attack, and we were required to stay close as a group. Most opened their pochade boxes and their paints were already laid out, so they quickly began painting. Unfortunately, I brought a new easel that required me to lay my paints out and clean them off each time I painted – no option for advanced preparation. I was angry with myself for not bringing one of my tried and true pochade boxes because by the time I squeezed out the paint and allowed time to pack up, there was very little time to paint. Because of the bears, we all had to leave at the same time. “I’ll meet you later when I finish my painting” was not an option. Five mornings of frustration ensued. Later in the week we saw grizzly sign in another daytime painting location and grizzlies had been frequently seen at my motel in Dubois the previous spring. We were in their territory.
After the workshop, I was driving across the Great Basin to meet my sister in Reno. Lots of empty, open stretches of highway. In fact, Highway 50 is aptly called the loneliest highway in the country. Long stretches with no radio reception and my mind was free to wander. It wandered back to those cold, frustrating mornings in the Absorokas. Bingo! I had an idea. I could have used the dust catching tray in my pastel set up to put my paint piles on, and then I could use my plastic brush tube to put the tray in when I was finished painting. Then I remembered that clove oil prevents oil paints from oxidizing, and I thought I could put some felt chair leg pads on either end of the brush tube and moisten them with clove oil to keep the paints fresh. I knew I had thought of a great idea.
It turns out that the adhesive felt pads didn’t work because clove oil eventually dissolves all adhesives, so I had to figure out another way to attach felt wicks. I had the wicks made to order and attached them with Chicago Screws. I needed better end caps other materials too, but by 2016, my patent was issued, and I’ve sold thousands of Palette Garages since then. A painter friend tells me her account husband, who tracks all the family expenses, asked her why she wasn’t buying oil paint anymore. She told him it’s because the Palette Garage means she’s not throwing away any paint. I take pride in saving artists money and also keeping unused oil paint out of the waste stream.
I highly recommend a drive across the Great Basin (the area between the Rockies and the Sierras) to anyone who wants to work out a problem or seek inspiration. Alternatively, you could just take a shower – another location where many people find inspiration. Grizzly bears are not required, although I now consider them my spirit animal, as without them, the Palette Garage would never have happened.