EH Sherman Art - Abroad!

At this time tomorrow, we'll be in Miami.

My shops have been put on "hiatus", bags are packed, electronics are charging and I am sitting here at my desk with a tiny glass of Schramms blackberry mead, (another lovely perk about living in Michigan!) thinking about the journey ahead.

I've written before about how much of my work is based off my actual, physical local - and how near and dear to my process adventure and exploration are. The same way I try to 'look differently' at my surroundings to 'paint differently', seeing something new invariably leads to painting something new. Getting out there is just part and parcel of what my work is about.

And boy, has it been awhile since we've been out there.

We're headed to Miami to reconnect with friends and family for a bit, then off to Copenhagen for a few days, then a road trip around Ireland with my husband's parents. ((If you have any suggestions of where to go while at any of these places, please let me know in comments!)) I've packed my clothes; I'm pretty good at picking a small capsule type wardrobe for trips - I usually only take a backpack so literally every piece of clothing I bring goes with at least 3 other things, and I'm finishing packing up my art supplies.

I'm just now realizing that my supplies take up more room than my clothing does... but we'll have access to laundry, so I'll be fine. Lol.

I usually get a lot of questions about what I take when I make work while traveling - and for this trip especially, I'll absolutely be working from the road - so here's a quick rundown of what I'm bringing. 

1.) 5 sheets of 20 x 30 Arches paper. It can be a bit expensive, but I usually cut each piece down into a few smaller pieces which offsets the price a bit.

2.) Tube-folio. I picked one that would fit inside my backpack, after a horrid experience leaving one behind in Berlin (FULL of work...) 

3.) Fredrix watercolor canvas sheets. These are so much fun. 9 x 12, great for accepting watercolors, liquid acrylics, all sorts of watermedia. Nice and travel sized too.

4.) Golden liquids; white and indigo. If I'm packing only carry-on as we sometimes do, I'll find an artstore in the vicinity of where we are staying that carries these. They are integral to my work and if I can't fly with them, I'll get them on location.

5.) Daniel Smith Gouache; white and naples yellow. These tubes go everywhere with me.

6.) Golden fluid; bone black and paynes gray. Small enough that I can bring these in my carry-on.

7.) Strathmore Watercolor sketchbook.

8.) Old paint towel.

9.) Fredrix Nature Core canvas boards. These things are awesome. Paints like a canvas, but lighter and a bit more durable in transport.

10.) Notebook.

11.) Assorted Brushes.

13.) Daniel Smith Watercolor sticks. I'll paint directly from the sticks, or chop off a bit and dissolve it in water for a nice wash. In their dry state they don't harm the carry-on rule either :)

13.) TAPE.

14.) Instax camera. I use this to see things a bit differently sometimes. Finished pieces, landscapes, people... the film changes an image in a way that affects how I process it. I also like to have physical pictures from our travels :)

What about you? Anything you can't leave behind? It would be fun to make some sort of masterlist, with a ton of artist contributors!

I'll check back in when we arrive in Copenhagen! On to Adventure!