It's a goal of almost every landscape artist to plan a trip to some distant or exotic location where the main purpose is to do nothing but paint. Being able to totally immerse oneself in new surroundings and paint is a wonderful way to recharge the creative batteries, especially if you are sharing the adventure with other artists. However, not all of us are fortunate enough to afford traveling frequently, or when the opportunity does arise, we have other folks we have to factor into the travel plans. Traveling with family, spouses and others who are not artists might be our only opportunity to "get away". And in those instances, art often takes a back seat due to the priorities that need to be considered for the group as a whole. Juggling an itinerary with a family or group on a trip can be a daunting task at the best of times, so trying to factor in even a little creative time can be difficult. I've been fortunate enough to travel and paint, but there have been many places I've visited where I would've loved the opportunity to try and capture it on canvas, but due to family commitments and/or expenses, taking along the painting gear just wasn't an option.
So what can we do when traveling doesn't permit taking along a bunch of canvas and painting stuff?
1. Camera: Obviously cameras and cellphones are a great way to record images that may be later used as reference. An extensive reference library is important. The drawback with any kind of camera is that it does not record imagery in the way the eye sees, so it's easy to fall into the trap of merely recreating the photograph on canvas. Photos, when used judiciously as a starting point are fine, but we must not allow photos to take the place our own creative vision.
2. Take a small watercolor or gouache set: A small water color or gouache set is a great way to capture a scene quickly on location and doesn't require a lot of space. A small kit with a few brushes, a sketchpad and a small container of water is all that's needed and can fit in a bag or backpack easily. I don't think fellow travelers would mind if one takes a few minutes to sketch and paint after lunch or during a break. Nothing fancy, just a few minutes to capture a few notes. It's surprising how much information from from these small reference sketches can be recalled when back home or in the studio.
3. Carry a sketchbook: Even a simple sketchbook and a few pencils can be invaluable in recording information for later paintings. Quick thumbnail sketches are a great way to document the values and composition of a scene. And you can make notes about color in the margins.
4. Take notes: When visual aids aren't possible, record your feelings and sensations regarding a particular scene. An emotional response is every bit as important as the visual response.
These are but a few suggestions to help folks juggle family trip time with a little creative time. I recently had the opportunity to travel to Colorado and had the good fortune to carry my painting rig along with me. Still, the objective of the trip was time together for my wife and me, and to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, so my opportunities to paint were limited. I only managed to paint on 3 different occasions, but with everything else we had planned, I was happy with that. It's all about balance!
In closing, traveling is an awesome experience and we all love going to someplace new and exciting. However, creative inspiration can be found anywhere and the only mode of travel needed is one's imagination.
