How to Travel in One Place

This has been a long, hard winter for many of us.  I’ve been suffering from cabin fever. We've had to be creative to overcome being cooped up. Travel can be a mindset as well as physical movement, so even though we are at the beginning of spring with more opportunities to get out, I offer these suggestions for ways to travel in one place:

  

•  Interior paintings/sketches/photos.  I’ve looked around my house and found indoor scenes within my own home that were paint-worthy.  This could be a den or dining scene, for instance, a person reading in an easy chair, a dog by the fire. I’ve also set up my own scenes, like a bathing suit hanging on a door to remind me of a beach cabana.  I’m instantly transported back to vacation spot! Be creative with these interior scenes.

Cabana Life oil Available here

• Still life paintings.  I set up objects from souvenirs of travels, collectibles or buy flowers at the grocers that are reminiscent of places I've visited—did you visit lavender fields in France or roses in England or just violets in your grandmother’s garden? Travel back with those happy memories!  The painting, Pop One, below, has double meaning--it reminds me of vacation refreshments, as we really only drink soft drinks on vacation, and because Walt's grandfather managed a Coke plant.

Pop One oil Available here

• Explore an area of your own town or neighborhood.  Look around and talk to people. Or sit still and just take it in. In Cary and Wilmington we enjoy farmer's markets and especially like trying restaurants based on different cultural traditions--Mediterranean, Indian, or Italian.  This could open up many café and market scene paintings. Here is a little market scene I did from France.

Pommes de Terre watercolor Available here

• Reading always transports me to far-off places and sparks my visual imagination. I especially like books set in definite places.  If you like action mysteries, I highly recommend Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak’s series based in Alaska.  Each book gives you a different understanding of Alaskan life.

 

• Try a new experience.  Well, how is this travel?  Maybe it’s stretching it a bit, but a new experience IS like a vacation!  Refreshing.  In art it could be trying a new technique, or just experimenting.  For me presently, it’s chain maille copper jewelry.  This is an unfinished flower  chain bracelet.  Do you see a rose in the basic shape? 

 

Spring is here, hooray!  But next time you find yourself a little housebound, I hope these ideas help.

HAPPY TRAVELS!

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My paintings are available at my studio in Cary, NC, online at Sheffield Art Studio and at my Daily PaintworksGallery (see also clickable link above right)

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