info plein air

What info plein air does

En Plein Air Pro, Inc. is a privately held e-commerce company founded in 2005 and headquartered at 1010 Levee Street, Dallas, Texas. The company designs, manufactures, and sells portable plein air (outdoor) painting easel systems for watercolor, oil, acrylic, and pastel artists, operating exclusively through a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer storefront at enpleinairpro.com with no physical retail, distributors, or stockists. Its product portfolio comprises four main package series — Traveler, Advanced, Professional, and Pastel — priced between $215.95 and $364.95, plus a modular catalog of individual palettes, panel holders, tripods, backpacks, water containers, and accessories sold separately.

The company's core technology centers on a tripod-based easel architecture that uses ABS plastic, PVC, and aluminum components with a 1/4"-20 quick-release mounting interface compatible with standard camera tripods (7/8"-1 1/8" leg diameter). Proprietary features include a structural-aluminum-channel panel holder designed to eliminate top-heavy rocking, a Pastel Dust Ledge exclusive to the pastel line, built-in value scales on oil/acrylic palettes for color mixing, and slide-out shelves with brush holders. Complete systems weigh between 8.5 and 12.3 lbs and fit within airline carry-on restrictions, addressing the core customer pain point of transporting heavy, bulky traditional French easels to remote painting locations.

The business model is one-time-perpetual-license direct sales, with revenue generated exclusively through online transactions plus phone orders. Pricing is fixed retail with occasional promotional discounts (e.g., 15% off via Constant Contact newsletter sign-up), and international shipping is quoted on a case-by-case basis via FedEx Priority International and USPS Priority Mail International. Customer segments include hobby painters, professional plein air artists, traveling artists, and workshop instructors, with strong endorsements from signature members of professional art societies (AWS, NWS, OPA, PSA). In August 2019, founders Chase Almond and Scott Collins transitioned to advisory roles and Charlie Mauldin assumed day-to-day operational responsibility.

Name

info plein air

Legal name

En Plein Air Pro, Inc.

Website

https://enpleinairpro.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

En Plein Air Pro is a privately held Dallas, Texas e-commerce company that designs and sells portable tripod-based plein air painting easel systems and accessories for watercolor, oil, acrylic, and pastel artists worldwide through its Shopify storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: The company generates revenue through direct e-commerce sales of complete easel system packages and individual replacement components. Products are sold at fixed retail prices with occasional promotional discounts. Shipping fees are charged separately based on destination and package weight.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

En Plein Air Pro designs, manufactures, and sells portable, all-in-one plein air (outdoor) painting easel systems for watercolor, oil, acrylic, and pastel artists. The company offers complete packages (Traveler, Advanced, Professional, Pastel Series) that bundle an easel, palette, panel holder, tripod, and backpack into a single lightweight system. Individual components such as palettes, tripod shelves, water containers, backpacks, tripods, and the exclusive pastel dust ledge are also sold separately for customization and replacement. Products are sold exclusively online via a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer storefront with worldwide shipping.

Product overview

En Plein Air Pro is a product company offering all-in-one plein air (outdoor) painting easel systems. The product portfolio consists of four main series of complete packages (Traveler, Advanced, Professional, and Pastel), each targeting different painting media and artist levels. Packages include various combinations of easels, palette shelves, tripods, panel holders, backpacks, and accessories. The Traveler and Advanced Series target watercolor artists, while the Professional Series targets oil and acrylic painters requiring larger canvases. The Pastel Series is designed specifically for pastel artists with exclusive dust-ledge technology. Individual components including palettes, tripods, backpacks, water containers, shelves, and panel holders are available for separate purchase, allowing artists to customize or replace parts of their setup.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traveler Series Watercolor Package Lightweight complete watercolor painting kit for travel, including a watercolor easel with table leg, one-hole tripod shelf, folding plastic palette (10x12 with 18 paint wells plus 5 mixing wells), collapsible water cup, and traveler backpack. Total weight 8.5 lbs / 3.86 kg. Designed for plein air watercolor artists who need a portable, airline carry-on compatible system.
• Advanced Series Watercolor Package Professional plein air watercolor easel system with heavy-duty white ABS palette shelf, gray PVC cover, collapsible water pot, SLIK U8000 tripod with quick-release plate, clear acrylic tabletop conversion leg, and 60L convertible backpack. Holds quarter-sheet watercolor paper. Targets professional watercolor artists needing a field-ready complete system.
• Advanced Series Oil & Acrylic Package Lightweight oil and acrylic easel system including Pro Series Panel Holder (holds panels/canvas from 6x8 up to 22 inches tall), Advanced Series Oil & Acrylic Palette (15.25x9.5, 144 sq.in. mixing area), 7oz turps jar, Slik U8000 tripod, and 60L backpack. Total weight 10.7 lbs / 4.86 kg. For oil and acrylic plein air painters.
• Professional Series Oil & Acrylic Package Premium professional outdoor painting system for larger works, including Pro Series Panel Holder, larger palette (18.5x9, 166 sq.in. mixing area) with choice of Abrasion Resistant or Tempered Glass working surface, two slide-out shelves with 7 brush holes each, turps jar, Slik U8000 tripod, and 60L backpack. Total weight 11-12.3 lbs depending on surface option. For professional oil and acrylic plein air painters.
• Pastel Plein Air Package Complete pastel painting system featuring a pastel palette (11x19), organizer tray (6 foam sections, holds up to 108 pastels), two sliding shelves with 5 grooved channels each, Pro Series Panel Holder with exclusive Dust Ledge, and 60L backpack. Total weight 12 lbs / 5.45 kg. Designed specifically for pastel plein air painters.
• Traveler Series Watercolor Plastic Folding Palette Compact folding watercolor palette with 24 wells for color mixing, hinged lid, and slim profile for travel. Dimensions 10x12. Sold individually as a replacement or upgrade option for watercolor plein air artists.
• Advanced Series Watercolor Palette Shelf with Cover Watercolor palette shelf with 14 paint wells, 2 large mixing reservoirs, collapsible water pail, and built-in hooks for trash bags. Dimensions 11.5x16x3mm. Weight 1.7 lbs / 0.77 kg. Mounts to tripod for plein air watercolor painting.
• Advanced Series Oil & Acrylic Palette with Cover and Single Slide Out Shelf Oil and acrylic palette with 144 sq.in. mixing area, 1/8 inch abrasion resistant acrylic working surface, built-in value scale, 6-hole brush holder, and slide-out shelf. Dimensions 15.25x9.5. Weight 2.8 lbs / 1.27 kg. For Advanced Series system users.
• Professional Series Oil & Acrylic Palette with Cover and Two Slide Out Shelves Professional oil and acrylic palette with 166 sq.in. mixing area, choice of Abrasion Resistant or Tempered Glass surface, two slide-out shelves with 7 brush holes each, and built-in value scale. Dimensions 18.5x9. Weight 3.10-4.13 lbs depending on surface option. For Professional Series system users.
• Pastel Plein Air Palette with Cover and Two Slide Out Shelves Pastel palette with organizer tray (6 foam sections, holds up to 108 pastels), two slide-out shelves with 5 grooved channels each, and foam-lined cover that doubles as a palette shade. Dimensions 11x19. Weight 4 lbs / 1.82 kg. Designed for pastel plein air painters.
• Advanced Series Combo (Easel + Watercolor Palette Shelf Only) Easel with table leg and Advanced Series Watercolor Palette Shelf with cover, sold without tripod for artists who already own a compatible tripod. Weight 2.9 lbs / 1.32 kg.
• Watercolor Easel with Table Leg Watercolor easel with retractable 8-hole brush holder and built-in water pail hook. Converts to a table easel with the included table leg. Compatible with Traveler and Advanced Series palettes.
• Professional Panel Holder Structural aluminum channel panel holder with 2 ABS brackets. Holds panels/canvas from 6x8 to 22 inches tall, with 72 inch height to top. Designed to eliminate top-heavy rocking via 1/4"-20 thread mount. Compatible with all En Plein Air Pro tripod-mounted systems.
• 60L Heavy Duty Convertible Backpack High-strength Oxford canvas convertible backpack with hideaway shoulder straps, padded waist belt, three heavy-duty handles, side zipper access, and two front zippered pockets. Dimensions 26x12.20x10.63. Capacity 60L. Weight 3.3 lbs / 1.5 kg. Designed to carry complete plein air painting systems and meet airline carry-on requirements.
• Traveler Series Backpack Carry-on backpack with room for tripod and all painting supplies. Dimensions 20x13.5x8. Weight 2.8 lbs / 1.27 kg. Pairs with the Traveler Series Watercolor Package.
• Slik U8000 Tripod Medium-duty tripod with pan and tilt head, quick-release plate, and geared center column. Supports 4.5 lb / 2 kg. Max height 59 inches / 149.9 cm, min height 22 inches / 55.9 cm. Folded length 23.2 inches / 58.9 cm. Weight 3.3 lb / 1.5 kg. Sold separately as a replacement or upgrade.

Quantifiable outcome

• Complete oil easel system (Professional Series with tempered glass) weighs less than 10 pounds
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Guerrilla Painter: Direct competitor offering pochade boxes, tripod easel systems, and plein air accessories. Operates in the same product category serving the same outdoor painting customer base.
• Artwork Essentials: Manufacturer of plein air pochade boxes and outdoor painting equipment. Directly comparable in product type, target customer (plein air painters), and price range to En Plein Air Pro packages.
• Mabef: Italian manufacturer of field and studio easels, plein air painting equipment, and wooden easel systems. Competes in the same easel category serving outdoor and travel painters.
• New Wave Art: Manufacturer of plein air pochade boxes and accessories targeting outdoor painters. Direct competitor with similar product positioning, modular design philosophy, and customer base.
• Open Box M: Designer and manufacturer of compact plein air painting boxes and pochade systems. Direct peer competing for the same outdoor watercolor and oil painting customers with similar portable form factor.

Broad incumbents

• Jack Richeson & Co. Large, established art supplies manufacturer that now owns the Guerrilla Painter brand. Offers a broad catalog of easels, pochade boxes, and plein air systems, making it both a parent-level peer and a broader incumbent in the same space.
• Blick Art Materials (Dick Blick): Largest U.S. art supplies retailer, carrying a broad catalog of easels, palettes, and plein air gear including multiple competitor brands. Represents both a potential retail distribution channel and a broad incumbent against which niche DTC players compete.
• Jerry's Artarama: Major U.S. art supplies retailer offering easels, plein air equipment, and artist materials from multiple brands. Acts as a broader incumbent and a potential retail channel for specialty plein air brands.

Emerging players

• Trekell: Art supplies brand offering easels, pochade boxes, and plein air equipment. Comparable in target customer and product category, with growing brand presence among professional and hobby plein air painters.

Others

• Slik: Camera tripod manufacturer whose Slik U8000 is bundled in En Plein Air Pro's Advanced, Professional, and Pastel packages. Acts as an upstream supplier and adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EnPleinAirPro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/en-plein-air-pro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about info plein air