Gnats, ants, no-see-ums, mosquitoes can be the bane of any plein air artist. As you get used to heading out to paint you will find yourself armed with an arsenal of sprays to protect yourself from these pesky things.
My first line of defense: Cactus Juice - this is a completely natural product and is usually very effective against marsh gnats and no-see-ums and to a lesser degree against the ants.
My second line of defense: Some insect repellent with a modest amount of deet in it,
My third line of defense: Deep Woods Off
For the ants (fire and other) I usually have to use a product with Deet - and spray it on the ground around where I am painting, on my shoes and the bottom of my easel and the rest of my supplies.
I also have found that having some dryer sheets available can help with the gnats. I sometimes put them under my hat to keep them out of my hair.
I have also heard some people use lemon thyme and some rosemary but these other products seem to do the trick for me,
Of course, that being said, sometimes I just give up - usually after I have about 300 gnats that have committed mass suicide in my painting. And so it goes!
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