The Traveling Artist

While traveling in Europe recently, I started an art journal. I discovered a few things about making art while on the go. You should know I’m not a pack and go artist and I really enjoy the comforts of a home studio. Still, I’m intrigued by those artists who greatly enjoy painting in crowded hot places and then carry their drippy paintings on the metro to their tiny hotel rooms. Nevertheless, there is something romantic about wearing a French beret and painting along the Seine.

My first obstacle was packing. I like to travel with just a carry-on. My art kit includes pens, pencils, brushes, sketchbook, and a 3 x 5 inch preloaded watercolor palette . I know artists who travel with full gear that includes easels, oil, paint, canvases, etc. and documentation that their chemicals won’t blow up the plane.

If you make it through airport security, you have long walks past gates, gift shops and long passport lines. Then you load everything into a tiny taxi that brings you to a tiny elevator that brings you to a tiny hotel room. In Lisbon we walked up a steep hill to our Airbnb with no elevator. I was so glad I had a small art kit.

In Lisbon and Barcelona, we hopped on and hopped off many buses and metros. After seeing the sites, and reaching 20,000 steps, I had no energy to lift up my sketchbook. Traveling with your family can present scheduling conflicts. But it’s possible to carve out some time for art and relaxation.

Choosing a location or subject to paint could be overwhelming. I relied heavily on my photography, thinking that I may go back to a location when the light was right. Or I would sketch from the photo recalling my experience. Very often the locations I selected were full of tourist and overcrowded making it difficult to sit and paint. Weather was a big factor. This summer much of Europe had temperatures in the high 90s.

I decided early to keep it simple and have fun with it. My sketches were loose and I didn’t fuss. I created works of art in my head as I composed images in my camera. Most of all, I considered my travels as creativity expeditions in search of inspiration. I enjoyed soaking in culture and the wonderful people I met and hopefully, that sentiment, will show through in my upcoming paintings .