Traveling and The Artist

As an artist, I always envisioned a romantic notion of what “being an artist” meant. Traveling abroad to retrieve my reference was something I not only wanted to do,  but needed to do as well.

My first trip for reference retrieval was right out of high school.  I ventured abroad with a group of students and we traveled throughout Europe, collecting so many wonderful shots along the way.  It would turn out, some 8 years later, that these photos (mostly taken in Italy) would become the first fine art photos I would use to launch my career in this arena.

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Right after returning from Europe, I was hired for a job with the backpack company A16. My travels then would take me to many of the National Parks, including Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  I had been bit by the travel bug.

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The Peru trip was followed by living in the Caribbean for a year, as well as trips to San Miguel and other areas of Mexico.  All through these trips, I would seek to hone my eye for composition and connect with the images that would later both forge my identity as a painter and strengthen my personal connection to my pieces.

It was at this time, around the age of 26, that I committed to my first solo show.  I booked another trip, one that would take me to Morocco.  I came back and executed around 35 paintings.  The show was not a rave success, but I did manage to make back my investment and then some.  Always remember, a price can not be put on this sort of growth. It is a true investment, in yourself and in your growth as a fine artist.

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In the years since Morocco I have ventured to Spain, back again to Italy several times, and all over the U.S.  As I write this entry I am sitting on a plane, getting ready to depart to the Land of Dragons; Bhutan.  I’m elated, like a 5-year old child waiting to open his presents on Christmas, and at the same time I’m fighting back some of the good old butterflies.  I know, however, that a true artist must always follow his heart and forge ahead in their quest for the next great painting effort.

..So get out there, and share yourself with the world; It could use it in times like these.

Happy Travels and Painting.

-Jeff

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