Who we are…
Carl Judson was managing a cattle ranch in Colorado when, inspired by Winston Churchill’s essay, Painting as a Pastime, he took up plein air painting in the early 1980s. He soon realized that the last thing he needed was for one of his cowboys to catch him in the act, so he built a small pochade box modeled after an illustration in a book.

Over the years, he noticed that, of all the equipment on the market, there was nothing that was compact, sturdy and simple to use. He continued to refine the pochade box, building dozens of versions over the years with an eye towards light weight, compactness, travel-worthiness and security.

Carl’s son Arthur participated in the design, building and marketing of the first line of pochade boxes, first for friends, then for retail and eventually for wholesale.

Why “Guerrilla Painter”?
While Carl was doing volunteer work in Bolivia back in the ‘90s (not far from where Che Guevara had organized his last guerrilla revolution), he would spend his spare time doing small plein air paintings. It wasn’t long before he started thinking of himself as a “guerrilla painter” – someone who is unobtrusive, travels light and is prepared to act in a moment’s notice.

Towards the future…
We’d like to see plein air painting restored to its traditional place as a worthwhile endeavor for anyone, regardless of artistic “talent” or ambition. A way to learn about your surroundings and environment, make a journal, enjoy the interaction of colors, document a vacation, etc. An outdoor sport, if you will, like golf, biking, picnicking, bird-watching, hiking…something a little bit challenging that will take you away from the mundane and into the moment.