As a new painter, I'm finding the pochade has really helped me develop. It encourages me to paint small panels, instead of being overly ambitious and having a canvas on my easel for weeks or months. I find I can learn more by painting a few smaller panels a week than painting one larger canvas over the course of a month or two. The Bitterroot is easy to set up, easy to pack up, so now I can paint whenever the spirit moves me.
I'm looking forward to taking it out into the snow this winter and then with me on a trip to Europe this spring. I'd also explain that for me this pochade settled the perennial debate of pochades vs. French easels. Your designs have the nice features that first drew me to a French easel -- the all-in-one nature, easy access to supplies, generous working area -- without all of the weight and, sad to say, the poor workmanship that goes into so many French easels today. After I realized that I don't need to paint large canvases en plein air -- I don't really have the time (I have a young son) or the need (I don't see myself as the second coming of Emile Gruppe) -- then it became clear that one of your pochades was the one for me. I've shown the box to a couple of friends. My art buddy loved it, saying it was about the coolest thing since paint. A friend who is a woodworker loved the design and craftsmanship.
-Mark