For Artists Who Love the Outdoors

When we travel I bring along my sketch kit. I have tried at one time or another to bring my plain air kit, but the sketch kit takes so little room and is so portable, I usually take it instead. Air travel have helped make that decision, since extra luggage costs and going through custom searches is not something I want to make any more complex than it has to be. My sketch kit consists of a water brush, a non-permanent ink pen, a Winsor Newton portable watercolour set, two travel brushes and one or more sketchbooks.  I can carry this pack in a bag slung over my shoulder and with my sure shot camera, I'm ready to go.

Artists are constantly doodling, sketching, doing quick studies. It's what we do to keep our skills sharp and, more importantly, to catch scenes which a camera might miss. No one objects to you sitting sketching a scene which might include them, but they might well take exception to you photographing that same scene. I also find that the sketches bring back fuller memories than the snap shots, since they absorbed my attention  in the first place. 

Here are a few sketches from Florence and Cortona. In Florence our hotel had a lovely little garden out front where they served a memorable 'happy hour' each evening with wine, hot and cold appetizers and a chance to catch up on the events of the day. Our room had a nice view , and I could sketch away happily in either place. In Cortona, our apartment had great views in all directions plus a rooftop terrace with a 360 degree view of the town and countryside! What a treat for an artist!

What I brought back with me are these sketches, and a great number of photos, which I hope will translate into some fine paintings over this next few months. Please let me know if you like the sketches or not. They really don't go any farther than this, but they are wonderful memories to have, and ideas for paintings often come from them.