Travel..

After being kept in confinement, prisoner, frustrated, and exhausted, I decided to leave...

I left for the outside limit, taking some distance and trying to find something new, something that did not exist anymore, leaving the place I was stuck on.

Who never feel the absolute necessity to start from the beginning again, to find out what was lost, robbed, forgot ?

How could I leave, as there was so much to experience ? How to allow myself to be free ? I still wanted to be productive, being inspired and being creative, wherever I was : I intended to work differently : I felt motivated.

I did not want to carry too many heavy tools ; easel, brushes, tubes of oil painting, turpentine and linseed oil, canvas... how about my toilet bag ?

To move without frustration and to still expand my activity, whatever the circumstances are or even I was traveling far from the atelier, I could imagine to make it.

No shilly-shally, I once envied photographers who could catch the instant, the moment being, so fast, and I decided to choose the travel technique for painting : the aquarelle or watercolor painting, a new technique for me, a technique I founded quite difficult as your mind must be concentrated.

At the age of 4, Santa Claus offered me a box full of colored chalks, it was such an excited moment ... I was 24 years old when he brought me a watercolor box palette. I grabbed the watercolor palette, with a pinch of the beginner's anxiety, but excited again.

My challenge, was to do something new, leaving my confort, and even accept to fail, the evidence of a possible catastrophe or why not ? experiencing such a surprise, the beautiful and bearable success.

Well, time to leave has come !

So, I took ...the mi-ni-mum !

as light as possible ;

-pincil -sharpener

-eraser

-watercolor box ; mine is a medium one in which tiny cups filled with different pigments : it is so cute to see all these colors.

-brushes, 4 or 5, a large flat one to paint the background of your picture,

-special watercolor paper, the weight, the quality of the paper is so important because the water may affect the result if the paper is not strong enough.

-adhesive tape that makes a nice frame effect on your painting.

I gave myself a goal of production, to remain centered, and not be disturbed, avoiding to procrastinate. I intended to leave for about twenty days, so I brought 8 sheets of watercolor paper, small and medium size.

An easy and realistic goal : it does exist for artists too !

Visiting other artists and observing their work was also particularly interesting. I even have the project to exhibit my work, so far away from home...just a dream.

I could see that their all beautiful work was with a high cultured print, which was absolutely not reflected in my painting and that it was a little absurd not to think of it sooner : I fall from my cloud (French expression !).

At the end of the stay, my work was exhibited in Ivana's T. garden, hanged on a clothesline, ahead a nice cinder block and veggie wall, for the joy of some of family members and friends. They discovered the watercolor exhibition during the after-lunch digestion : nobody was sick ...