Thursday, January 20, 2011

A little more about winter fashion

Lucia Deleiris , pictured above wrote in to my comments page to tell what layers she had on she said "In the picture you see only the top layer, but I also have on merino wool long underwear, expedition weight poly pro pants, then work coverall windbreaking pants over that, merino wool top, part wool shirt, fleece jacket, down vest, then two jackets over that. wool scarf, and two hats, and heat packs inside gloves and in my trans-Alaska III Cabella boots!"

Lucia is an experienced winter survival painter having made numerous painting trips to both the Antarctic and to the arctic documenting in paint the wildlife under the auspices of the National Science Foundation. Below is a picture of her wearing that same coat in the arctic.
One night on this trip she tested out a new sleeping bag by sleeping in her car overnight. It was about zero , she looked OK at breakfast. Tough girl. Here is her web site

Chemical hand warmers are a nice thing to have when it is super cold. When you pull the disposable warmers out of their protective packets a chemical reaction begins involving iron and salt and activated charcoal all sealed up in little polypropylene bags. They rapidly heat up and stay that way for hours. Toe warmers are also available. If you put a pair in your gloves or boots they will keep them warm all day. I only use them when it is super cold, but they are a nice luxury then. You can buy them inexpensively here or at Amazon .

I was also asked about snowblindness and how that can be avoided. Snow blindness is essentially a sunburn of the eyes. The snow reflects a lot of UV waves into your eyes. One way to cut it down is to wear ordinary glasses. The plastic lenses cut the UV rays by a lot and the high density polycarbonite lenses that I wear cut them even more. As always when painting outside, a hat with a brim will also provide some protection for your eyes. Perhaps because I wear thick polycarbonite lenses I am never bothered by the glare from the snow.

I also wear lots of Polar fleece. Tomorrow I will tell you the story of that

12 comments:

Carole Buschmann said...

I've been following your description of plein aire painting in winter. So I put my recent experience here in Colorado and referenced your blog. Thank you
http://colorcreates-pastelsdaysplaces.blogspot.com

Mary Byrom said...

Nice feature - I like the sleeping bag test. The real deal ...go Lucia !

Barbara said...

What the well-dressed warm women are wearing this season. I think all outdoor painters are cool, but you cold climate winter painters are ultra-cool.

Philip Koch said...

Is it true that the International Olympic Committee is considering making Dressing for Cold Weather Painting an Olympic event?

Unknown said...

I would have to add adult diapers to the ensemble, because I'd never be able to get UNdressed fast enough with all those layers!

billspaintingmn said...

Very impressed with Lucia! Her art
and journeys are fun and interesting, not to mention dangerous.
I'm not sure I'll be able to take snow painting to that level, but after seeing her sites, I know I will get out there and paint things
I have visited.
Thanks for the heads up on those warmers Stape!
I ordered my take it easel yesterday, the Stapelton Kearns model! Those Cabela boots will probably be my next step.
This snow better hang around awhile!

Stapleton Kearns said...

Carole:
Good luck out there in the Rockies!Thanks for the link!
..........Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Mary;
She is the real deal.
................Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Barbara:
It is the best time to paint outside!Cool or not!
............Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Philip:
Yes and the Ethiopians and Kenyans are not expected to finish well.
..................Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Deb:
You ever looked for work as an astronaut?
...................Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

bill:
Congratulations on the easel. I should last you a lifetime and make you cooler than other plein air painters too.
......................Stape