Guerrilla Painter 9 by 12 Box

I purchased this box from Judson's about 15 years ago and at the time the only real competiton was the Open Box M pochade by the late Michael Maier. Mine was made in Carl Judson's ranch shop in Colorado where he had originally conceived the design while pursuing painting as an avocation. He was a cattle rancher and wanted to paint during his non working hours but didn't want his crew of cowboys to discover his hobby, hence a stealthy pochade box was his preferred support system. Judson designed his pochade to hold either stretched canvas or panels and the hallmark is robust construction with a slide out palette in an all in one design. The Open Box M is much lighter in weight (by itself) but less likely to withstand rough handling if it's outside of it's case and is more of a handmade item constructed with solid brass hardware. Judson's box is more robust while the Open Box M is more elegant. Both have adapters that allow the pochade to fit securely onto a camera tripod.

One of the supposed benefits of a pochade over the traditional "french easel" is that they are lightweight and inconspicuous to carry and use, which is true up to a point. The Gurerilla Painter 9 x 12 with a dozen 37ml tubes of paint, loaded brush washer, brushes/palette knives, medium, and 3 or 4 panels is no lightweight companion (12+ lbs.), but is reasonable in size and compact compared to a French Easel. Mine has stood up very well and I've had little problem with the hardware or the wood material itself. The oiled finish has withstood many a paint/turp spill and though I've purchased some spare parts the basic box is still going strong. As a matter of fact the only broken bit I've had was a very minor replacement of one of the panel supports. Judson's carries all the replacement parts and you could build up a repair kit for under $20 to make sure it doesn't have to "go into the shop" if you do have a problem.

So, what's not to like? Well, 15 years is a long time and Judson's has changed quite a bit; gotten bigger and added many more products to their catalog including different size pochade boxes as well as different designs, some of which I'm not particularly fond of. First of all, the boxes are now made in China rather than in his ranch shop in Colorado which is either a bad thing or a non issue depending upon your sensitivity to the topic of domestic production. I subsequently purchased a 6 x 8 "thumb box" and a much larger (and heavier) 12" x 16" pochade which is no longer made. The 12" x 16" is pretty useless as a pochade and much heavier than a French Easel. It was a bad purchase on my part and I can easily see why Judson quickly discontinued it. The "thumb box" on the other hand is a delightful little cube built just like the original 9 x 12 but downsized for the smaller format. Tthe only difference is the wood finish, as construction and hardware appears identical to my original. The only real flaw in the original design is the panel holding system which does not provide a firm grip on your painting support. This can bother some painters, but most either get used to it or jerry rig a filler to take up the excess space between between your painting panel and the panel clips. They also offer an accessory "easel" that helps in this regard. The newer designs correct this shortcoming with a different panel holding system but have some additional problems of their own.

Judson currently offers the "French Resistance Pochade" that incorporates a different design that you might well compare with the original 9 x 12. The design is attractive, but strays from the original by offering what I consider a major flaw that you might not think about until you actually used one in the field. Instead of the highly regarded slide out palette they produced a slimmer box (nominally 3" x 10" x 13") that offers a trade off in storage vs. paint mixing. Opening the "FRP" reveals a top lid that offers an innovative panel holding system consisting of a wire "tray" that holds a panel or stretched canvas and can be set into 4 positions on the inside of the lid. The panel is held in place by a telescoping rod that you can adjust up to 16". Given that the nominal size of the box is only 10 x 13" this is a big plus for those who want to paint in a larger format (16 x 20" landscape format) without going the French Easel route. The problem is that they oddly left out the sliding palette leaving you to mix your paints in the bottom of the pochade. Normally this wouldn't be a bad thing as other designs do this (Open Box M, EasyL), but with a difference. The Open Box M's "palette" or mixing space is only about 3/8" deep and is comfortable to use just like a small hand held palette. The French Resistance Pocahde design on the other hand is about 2" deep and is constructed into a long rectangle by an unmovable wood divider that runs lengthwise separating the bottom into two parts. Given the depth and narrowness of the space it is very uncomfortable to use or clean; and is best left to storage. This means you have to carry an exterior palette which, given the box's design is certainly possible, but then there's no place to carry your just completed painting. Like I said it's a tradeoff and can be worked around but it is something to consider.

So there you have it; a long winded review of a generally excellent product line. Of the offerings mentioned I recommend the 9 x 12" original pochade (the one considered in this review) and the smaller 6 x 8" "thumb box". Both have a number of options readily available to customize the pochade to your particular needs and both are reasonably priced due to the current country of origin. Besides direct purchase from Judson's web site many of his products (not all) are carried by art supply retailers, some with very discounted prices, so shop around before you buy. AND, don't forget to consider the alternative of a 1/2 box French easel. It's very easy to get sold on the compact little pochade box when a French easel offers some benefits not available to the pochade user. For starters, consider the overall weight and bulk of a pochade WITH a sturdy tripod, since that's what you get with the French easel. Secondly, one of the benefits of a French easel over a pochade/tripod combination is that your palette can remain at waist level while you can move the support surface to eye level creating a more comfortable and familiar relationship. You can store your long handled oil brushes in the kit drawer, something you typically can't do with a pochade box, though Judson's sells special short handled bristles (no sables) to fit smaller pochades.

The truth is no one system works best all the time and you'd be selling yourself short by limiting your equipment choice to just one or the other. A pochade is at it's best when the little box rests on your lap and you complete sketches or vignettes to expand upon later. For the painter who doesn't want to draw attention to themselves it's the perfect choice, but as soon as you add a tripod you've removed much of the pochade advantage. A French easel is often more appropriate for field painting and many can fill in as a "studio" easel if you normally paint on moderate sized canvas. Personally, I use the Open Box M 10 x 12" when I want to paint with a tripod, and the original Guerilla pochade when I want to dispense with the tripod. For anything larger than 10 x 12" I use a half box French easel. I keep the Thumb Box loaded with supplies in my truck for those moments when the mood strikes for a quick sketch. Many people prefer newer boxes such as the EasyL or one of the innovative Heilman designs. I have both, but prefer the Judson and Open Box M for actual field use. While this may sound extravagant, if you factor in the cost of brushes, canvas and artist quality paint purchased over the years, it's really not. So, make your choice based upon how you paint and there's no reason why you have to settle on just one design. Painting can be a life time avocation and buying a variety of equipment spread out over decades makes the overall cost much more reasonable than it would appear.

The price was fair and so far the product seems to durable, but only time will tell. I'd like to be able to write a review a year from now. Up side The mount, knobs, and hinges all look and feel sturdy, and the construction seems solid. The down side The palette seems a little flimsey. Also, the box is built to hold only 9 x 12 panels, and I like to work on 5 x 7 and 8 x 10 in the field. The company sells a seperate piece to add on to the box to accomadte smaller panels, but I put 2 velcro strips on the inside of the box, and then I put a small piece of velcro on the back of the panel, and that works just fine for holding smaller panels in place.

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I was and am really happy with this purchase. I thought it was a little expensive but, the quality makes it well worth it. It is perfect for my traveling supplies and very sturdy, so I know it will get a great deal of use in the future. I took it on vacation and loved that it was compact and I was able to store my wet canvases without any damage at all.

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Too pricey for sure.

The product is not bad, although I feel that for the price, it does not have the stability needed for plein air.

The instructions are out of this world, it is amazing how they get away with this.

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