Traveling as an Artist - Part 2
I just returned home to Mississippi a few days ago from a Visual Explorations trip to Scandinavia. The trip was designed around the purpose of studying the life and work of Swedish artist Anders Zorn, while also providing an opportunity for artists to glean inspiration from his work by drawing and painting around the area he was working. We spent time in Stockholm, a beautiful, calm, and clean city with multiple museums exhibiting Zorn’s work. From there we took a bus up to Mora, Sweden, the quaint country hometown of Zorn. His exquisite home and gardens as well as a museum dedicated to his work exhibited a commitment to place that was inspiring. His successful career allowed he and his wife to have a huge impact on the community of Mora. From there we took a train down to Copenhagen, Denmark, which has nothing to do with Anders Zorn, but has everything to do with being a freakin’ cool city that should be visually explored.
In order to be able to move around as an artist on planes, buses, trains, and walking the city, one must pack thoughtfully. The portability of your materials is crucial to a successful trip. A couple of the key things I have learned is that a limited palette helps and paper is your friend.
No matter the medium you are using while traveling, less is more for several reasons. Time - If you are having to set out your palette of colors each time you go out to paint then a lot of time is being dedicated to that process. Watercolor has a clear advantage on this. Space - Fewer tubes of paint means that they are taking up less space in your bag obviously. Ease - I like color and the full spectrum of opportunity that a full palette gives you, but it IS easier to paint with a limited palette. This could be a completely different topic of discussion, so just trust me. A limited palette creates a more cohesive image and allows you to work quickly. I would recommend 6-10 colors.
Whatever medium you are using, paper is an advantage, even for oils. I’ll discuss more specifics about traveling with oils in the next edition of this series. But paper is light weight and thin allowing you to pack a lot of surfaces on which to create your work. A bound sketchbook is numero uno of art supplies for me, and a stack of loose paper for specific mediums is second.
Some things that you may think are crucial, like easels or umbrellas might not be as necessary as you think. Then there are things that you might not realize you need that can save your ass, literally. I have found that a blow up cushion has allowed me to work on a painting for a couple of hours when without it I might have been too uncomfortable after 30 minutes. An Italian stone wall starts hurting REALLY fast.
Most importantly, practice before traveling. Pack your materials and walk to that park a mile away to see what items are critical and if there are items you could do without. Pack light and do more.
Photo of art supplies from my Scandinavia trip
In this photo…
Messy metal palette for gouache and for watercolor
Sennelier watercolors
Maimeri gouache tubes in a plastic bag
Paper towels
Umbrella in case you get caught in the rain
Clip board for loose paper
Handmade sketchbook by David West
Tortuga backpack (I use a smaller bag for walking around the city)
Water container (I prefer the Paprika Pringles)
Various brushes
A Klymit inflatable cushion
Pencil bag from Manufactus Italy with a selection of pencils and pens
Paper for different mediums separated in plastic sleeves