This page is to help you prepare for this retreat. If you forget something, you will be able to find all of the equipment & clothing you need in town.
General Clothing & Equipment
Most of your day will be spent outside. Please be ready for anything. The weather can vary quite a bit, even in a single day. In the summer, daytime highs can exceed 70F (25C), only to drop 20 or more degrees when a thunderstorm rolls through. It can snow during any month of the year, especially at night. Bring a range of clothing options, including a warm jacket and rain gear, even in the summer" Be prepared to paint for 3 - 4 hours with little movement and expect quick changes in the weather.
- Layered clothing for wind, sun and temperature changes
- Warm jacket
- Wool, down or heavy-weight fleece jacket, loose fitting clothing allows your body to regulate temperatures better - Light jacket / sweater
- light and loose fitting, midweight fleece or wool sweater or shirt - Insulated underwear / thermals
- capilene, polypropylene or wicking fabric for the cool mornings - Rain gear (jacket & pants)
- waterproof and windproof outer layer, lightweight and breathable - Short sleeved shirts
- cotton okay but synthetic wicking shirts are best - Pants
- synthetic, moisture-wicking hiking pants are best, lightweight pile or fleece or tights. - Hats
- brimmed for sunny days and insulating for cold days - Gloves
- lightweight for cool days and wool or fleece for cold days - Socks
- layer light wool or synthetic liner sock with heavier wool or synthetic outer sock on cold days
- Warm jacket
- Hiking boots (we may hike up to 1/4 mile, uphill & down hill, and you may wish to hike from our lodgings)
- Tennis shoes & sandals
- Day pack (for extra clothing, water, lunch, camera, binoculars, etc.)
- Water bottle (refillable, 1 quart minimum, a Camelback or a bottle with a shoulder strap works great)
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen / SPF lip balm (we will be at high altitudes)
- Camera (SD cards, batteries & chargers)
- Binoculars
- Notebook, pencil
- Alarm clock (we leave early for some days)
Art Supplies
Please see the Art Supplies page (HERE). If you are flying, we are happy to work with you to take an order of the art supplies you need and bring them with us. The Idaho Art Lab has a full line of fine art supplies but may need to close during a retreat due to lack of volunteers.
How do I transport my wet paintings safely?
Note: Harriman Park is a stay-and-paint retreat. We do not use the bus but instead paint around the Railroad Ranch.
During the retreat, you'll be able to place paintings under 12" in our drying rack (above) that sits on the bus. Larger paintings up to 24" long can fit in the rack but will stick out with a potential for damage during our drive.
Here are some ideas for transporting wet paintings home at the end of the retreat.
- Gather together inexpensive frames that are the same size and fit the canvas or panel size you will be painting. Place the wet paintings in the frames, place the frames together front to front, then secure the frames and paintings against each other with large rubber bands or wraps of cloth strips. We feel that panels are easier to pack than canvases and withstand gusts of wind better when on your easel
- For canvases, you may find it easier to use pushpins in the corners and place them face to face then place them in a box or tote that just fits that size of painting.
- Canvas Carrier Clips can be purchased to enable you to carry two canvases facing each other. It puts a gap between the canvases and prevents having to poke holes in the corners of your canvas so it's good for gallery wrap canvases.
- For panels, you can use pushpins in the 4 corners of foam core boards slightly bigger than your panel. Place a foam core board down, push in 4 corner pushpins, lay your panel in the middle, place another foam core board on top and repeat. It's best to find a box or tote just larger than your foam core boards to place this stack of paintings in.
- For panels you can also find a box that frames came in that is the right size to carry a few panels and glue dowels down each side to separate the panels. You can place panels back to back then glue a dowel, have another 2 panels back to back, then a dowel, etc.