Embarking on a Solo Painting Trip

Those of you who keep up with me on this blog, you may have noticed I haven’t much been in the mood to share my life with you lately.   I would rather share myself by way of my artwork than with words.

Although the blogging and the popularity of social media has been a great vehicle for self representing artists to show-off, connect,  and promote their artwork;  living in such a transparent manner way takes it’s toll on me.

Art is a solitary adventure for me.

Nothing personal folks, I don’t always enjoy sharing everything with you.  Sometimes I am just not in the mood.  I want solitude, privacy, and freedom of expression in my studio.  Too much facebook, twitter, and blogging makes me feel like I have an audience watching me paint.

But today I want to share.  I am excited about my painting trip to Florida.

Artist Packing 101

I have a bag of clothes about the size of a bread box and at least 5 totes filled to the brim with art supplies.  I think it is wonderful that it takes me about 10 minutes to pack my clothes, and about 5 days to pack my art supplies.

Yes, I am probably getting a little too much enjoyment from rummaging through a box of yellows, trying to decide if I should take cad yellow light AND cad yellow med.   Should I stick to basics only, mixing all my greens down there in Florida?   Florida is really green.  And Florida always seems really blue to me, water everywhere.  I will take every blue I own and probably mix my greens.

I know from experience, that I will use about 10% of the art supplies that I pack into my car.  Mostly I will rely on my  sketchbook and one special  charcoal pencil that I am addicted to using.  But I can’t imagine getting down there, and suddenly, desperately want to paint but have only colored pencils or – insert gasp – watercolor.

I am a acrylic painter.  So acrylics I will take to Florida.

Art Vacations 102

As with of my most vacations, the expectation of what it will be like artistically usually falls way short of reality.  I fantasize about painting in marinas, with perfect temperatures. No strong wind blowing my stuff around.  Perfect light all day and no weird, over-tanned sailor-type people asking me personal questions and making me feel strange.

Reality will be a land-locked rental condo, cookie-cutter South Florida architecture, fat people around a square pool, some weeds, gator infested ditches, bugs, a sunburn.   But hey, aren’t artists supposed to be able to see beauty in ordinary things?

I imagine paintings flowing out of me like water.  I imagine painting easily and freely day after day.  I imagine heading back to Georgia with a trunk of magnificent work.

The reality is that I am already thinking of ditching art and slinking off to a tourist trap in Miami called Monkey Jungle.  For $30 bucks you get to run around and feed crazy tourist spoiled monkey and hope they don’t bite you. And they also have Parrot Jungle.  Renamed  Jungle Island, guess they have more than Parrots now days.  I have been there before.  I loved it.

The reality is that I will most likely sleep-in, missing the perfect morning light so coveted by artists.  When I finally get out and get going I will sweat a bit over a clumsy plein air easel, tip my folding chair over getting  the outside of my water bottle dirty and gritty.

The light will be way too bright, my acrylic paint will dry way too fast, and I will get frustrated and decide to just sketch the rest of the week.  I will pack up shortly after lunch.  I will eat way too much Cuban food. I will take a afternoon nap, missing the golden, evening light.

But right now, today, I am living the fantasy.  I am full of hope for next week’s solo painting trip.  I am perfecting my art packing ritual.  I am gGetting my tote bags just right.   Picking out my palette, my brushes, and my other art gear  ~  Not sure which is more fun.  Packing the perfect art supplies or taking the actual trip.