Day 2 on the Drake Passage. Promise of our first Antarctic landing on the South Shetland Islands looks uncertain tonight. Six-meter seas and a fifty-knot wind hitting the ship straight on have made progress slow. Driving rain and snow have made it impossible for even the extreme painter to work outside, although it's tempting! The captain has closed the outer decks for safety. The best place to work sketching the breaking waves and spray over this immense ship's bow is from the porthole. From the deck 8 starboard cabin windows, I keep an eye on the brightening horizon and the massive wave crests. Cape Petrels and fulmars glide effortlessly along the spray ridges and are reflected, for split a second, in the elastic wave surfaces. As we cross the Antarctic convergence, the water temperature drops. The colors of the water appear more phthalo blue and green.

On Sea Days like this, everything is in slow motion because every move has to be in sync with the wave action. It takes time to set up the painting materials in a manner to ensure that that they'll not roll away. Papers can slide out beneath you, or the water bucket can spill in your lap. Last year on the Drake Passage I hadn't tied down my easel.  I left it for 10 seconds. In that time the ship rolled, tipping the apparatus and breaking the easel's main parts. Thankfully the ship had some very effective Russian super glue to repair it! Painting on deck is the platform in which I have control over the main force in watercolor and that is gravity.

Essential Materials for Painting Near the South Pole
As I prepare my supplies for the upcoming busy landings in Antarctica, I have listed below some of the essentials.

The Painting Board. The folder is made from two corrugated plastic sheets duct taped at one end to make for a lightweight, ultra sturdy, waterproof, painting surface and folder. I use 2 sizes to accommodate both full and half sheets. Corrugated plastic is available at most art stores. I use a gray color, as it's neutral and not blinding when the sun reflects off it. When going into the backcountry, I can carry about 30 half sheets in the 16x22 folder which fits in to my large backpack. I find this way of storing the paper affords me more variety in custom paper sizes; it's also more economical than commercial watercolor blocks. You just clip the paper onto the board, and you're ready to paint. There's no time to stretch paper here!  For more versatility, this board can be clipped onto a sturdy Masonite board that is customized with a universal adapter to fit a photographic tripod. The tripod allows endless angle variations so you can manipulate the water bead. With a little innovation you can also attach a water container to the easel. A collapsible easel is preferable. Watch the wind and waves though. It might be wise to tie the easel down.

Paper: 140 lb. (cold press surface is my preference) is ideal, as this weight of paper tends not to buckle but does not weigh the pack down. The paper I'd use in my studio, 300 lb., would.

Arches Bright White and Winsor & Newton are great for depicting clean, bright snow and mountains and ocean surf. Saunders 200 lb. has lovely warmth for autumn or sunsets.

Tubes of Watercolor and palette. Fresh tubes of paint to squeeze out are preferable to maybe overly dried out cakes, and the landscape may ask for fully saturated color! Store tubes in a small box or container, so as not to crush them. I use a Holbein Kit that holds the tubes, brushes, and a folding palette, which also acts as a lid. I don't like the new version of this palette as much as my old one, as there are now many more areas for cakes. This Holbein Kit is compact and clean, as well as easy to set up and take down. It is important to have a folding palette (with a thumbhole) and large mixing areas. I use a variety of leading brands and colors (however Winsor & Newton, in my opinion, makes the best), mainly in the primaries with a few secondary. I prefer to mix most earth tones and grays. When painting winter scenes in winter, I keep the paint box near my body heat so the paints don't freeze! 

Watercolor Brushes: I use a pointed round sable brush (No.12), and one other brush (No. 4). I find also that some Chinese bamboo brushes create interesting effects. My favorite brush is a wolf hair mountain brush. Many elements in the landscape can also make interesting marks on paintings. Try twigs or moss, for example. My advice is to transport brushes in a breathable holder of some sort. Remember that brushes can rot and the tips need to be protected. You could try rolling them in a bamboo place mat, for example.

Other Important Items:

• Pencil, kneaded eraser, knife, palette knife for scraping.
• Water container for cleaning brushes and plastic bottles for storing fresh water as well as taking dirty water back to ship (once we get off ship).
• Rain jacket or large garbage bags: these are handy in case of rain, or to sit on if ground is wet and covered with penguin guano.
• Small folding painting or camping stool.
• Sun hat (very important to cut down on eye fatigue and glare.)
• Sunscreen, neutral tinted sunglasses,
• Camera, with plenty of film or extra digital memory cards: It's important to gather reference material or documentation. When I'm on land, I often travel with a laptop computer so I can review the journey in the evening.
• Backpack or large portfolio to carry all this stuff!!