A Day at the Elephant Sanctuary

I am simply without words. I'll try my best to write out what I can about our day spent among the elephants - but I know whatever words I pick will not do the animals justice.

We visited an elephant sanctuary today. No riding, no performing, just a slow walk back from the river. These elephants have been rescued from dire situations around the countryside and brought to the refuge to live out their days in peace, and it was hard to speak in anything more than a whisper around them - everything just felt so sacred and soft.

We walked with them on their daily trek from the river to their sleeping quarters, feeding them bananas, sugar cane and bundles of grass along the way. They were so much larger than I was expecting, just absolutely gargantuan creatures - but so, so gentle. 

We learned about each elephant individually as we walked the trail, it's history and it's temperament, favorite foods and funny moments. I just can't get over how incredible their presence was, how anyone could hurt them is a baffling, sickening mystery to me.

At the end of the day I was more tired than I think I've been in years. The walk wasn't strenuous, but every nerve alert, every sense trained on soaking in the time we had with these gentle giants.

It will take me a bit to process the day, but I already have a few sketches going to help. When words fail me, colors usually pick up the slack.

As always, thanks for following along <3

Refuge / 18 x 24

Travel Art Supplies :: Japan/Thailand

I’m an over packer by nature.

As a little kid I would stuff virtually every CD I owned, at least 3 books and as many colored pencils/sketchbooks as would physically fit inside my backpack just to go on relatively short road trips. (Sorry Mom and Dad!)

It’s not that I fear being be bored, or have to be occupied at all times, — I actually really enjoy the feeling of “nothing” to do, I’ve just always felt a supreme need to be prepared. What if the car breaks down in a beautiful field and I want to draw? Better have my pencils. What if rains all day and our hiking plans are cancelled? Better have my sketchbooks. 

These over-packing tendencies begged to be carried over into my international trips - but baggage requirements and the realistic weight of what I can actually carry have dictated otherwise. Over the last 3 or 4 adventures abroad I’ve whittled down what I consider necessary and have ended up with a pretty good list for creating the art I want to create while away. I’ve been asked a few times on instagram to share what I bring, so here is my complete list of art supplies for this 2017 Asia trip.

Art Supplies - Japan/Thailand 2017

• Document tube + a few sheets of paper from home.

• Tube acrylics

• Acrylic brushes + plastic palette

• Passport-sized Moleskine sketchbook (generally kept with my passport)

• 4 x 6 watercolor book (cold pressed)

• Sennelier watercolor travel palette

• 9 x 12 Fredrix watercolor canvas pad

• 9 x 12 watercolor block (hot pressed)

• Watercolor brushes (Escoda, Golden)

• Washi tape

• 9 x 5 watercolor sketchbook

All of this fits into my carryon backpack except the document tube, which gets carabiner-ed onto my checked luggage. True it doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for non-art items, but with my phone and iPad I’m pretty well set for the flights. At the end of the trip I’m sure re-evaluate what I used the most/least and tweak my list again - but I think out of all the trips we’ve gone in the last 2-3 years, this has been my most successful packing list. What about you, how do you pack for art-inclined vacations?

EH Sherman Art Abroad - Making Work in Ireland

We took a 'circular' path around the island, beginning in Dublin, Carlingford, Belfast, Letterkenny, Castlebar, Cork and back to Dublin. It was an incredible two weeks of sights, sounds, sketching and of course - food.

Spending multiple nights in each location,  we took day trips to the surrounding areas as we went. It was a very busy trip, always on the go, but just so utterly fantastic. 99% of the places I've visited I've fallen in love with -- but Ireland just might come out on top. 

Perhaps it was the small towns, connected by narrow winding roads and divided by nothing but stone walls and sheep herds that felt like a moment back in time, maybe the overflowing warmth of everyone we met, maybe the jaw-dropping vistas. Or more likely, a combination of everything above.

When I wasn't taking pictures, I was sketching and painting. Filled with a new appreciation for greens, grays, blackish blues and tiny dots of purple I worked furiously to express what I felt looking at the landscape.

Every time we rounded a bend it seemed like there was another valley, another mountain that called to be explored. Like a carrot on a stick. A big, beautiful paleo-lithic carrot.

I could have spent another 3 weeks there, easily. Or longer. But I only really had 3 weeks of clothes with me, sooo...

It was just the most fantastic time. And I truly enjoyed getting to talk with some of you on a few of the car rides via Instagram Live, being able to show my process in the car was just such a neat experience. (Follow me @ellen_the_lemon for the next Live video!)

Now that we're back and I'm settled into the organization of the work I made, I can't help but think wistfully on the slow mornings spent waking up to mountain haze, listening to the sheep and smelling the seashore. I'm grateful for all the wonderful suggestions we received on what to do, what to see and what to eat, you guys had some truly fantastic advice!

I'll be posting a major shop update in the coming days, (featuring the works made in ireland!) sign up for the newsletter to be notified the second it goes live.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend <3

From the Hotel Bar...

I love hotel bars.

It's not for the 'bar' part necessarily, (though it certainly doesn't hurt) it's for the ebb and flow of the people, the interactions and steady buzz of excitement that permeates the room. 

It's a slightly different vibe than a dedicated 'bar' bar. Most of these people are on holiday, they ask the desk attendants for dinner ideas, where the nearest park is, what they should see in the city.  It's a wonderful place to sit, think, write and of course, people watch.

If I'm still feeling the effects of a long flight or time change, this is where you'll find me. Too tired/discombobulated to go out and explore, I'll order a glass of wine, latte or occasional whiskey and open my notebook and just sort of freeform write. Soaking up the aura of adventure and excitement cuts right through the fog of jet lag.

I like to imagine where the other patrons might be headed to; a museum, boat tour, train to the next town. Or maybe they are just killing time with a margarita before they can check into their room and nap. Channeling that energy into ideas, some of my favorite passages were written in similar situations, just trying to stave off sleep and get a feel for the area.

Every so often someone will comment on my notebook or the tickets taped into pages. I'm a bit of an introvert, so sometimes the conversations can be a little strained - but I do generally enjoy talking to people about their vacation (and mine.)

This particular hotel bar was no different, I nursed a glass of wine for about an hour as I wrote about our time in Miami, plans for Ireland and brainstormed for a few new projects. A nice family from Morocco sat in the both next to me and asked if I knew where the train station was. Thankfully, it was about the only landmark I did actually know and we got to talking about their travels. Turns out they're headed to Miami in a few weeks for a wedding and I was able to give them some restaurant ideas.

Successfully dodging the afternoon jetlag slump, I returned to our room fresh with ideas, awash in excitement and ready for dinner.

Onto more adventure tomorrow.

<3

Making art in Copenhagen

We arrived in Copenhagen a few days ago. It's been mostly gray, rainy and relatively cold - but that hasn't stopped us from exploring the city. Our hostel has umbrellas, so that helps.

Miami --> Copenhagen

Part 1 of a series about making art abroad.

We both really like Copenhagen. It's our first time in Denmark, and I am absolutely in love with the vibe of the area; modern, minimalist design and architecture - with a dash of fishing village and viking thrown in. And everyone we seem to meet is just. so. stylish. (I would say more so than Paris even!)

After taking a day to adjust to the time change, I settled into the usual pattern I adopt while away for extended periods of time.

- Wakeup.

- Eat breakfast and check on work -- make a plan for what needs to be accomplished.

-Go out and explore. Sketch, make plans, write.

- Grab a bite of lunch and head back to the hotel/hostel/airbnb.

- Work until dinner.

- Head out to find dinner and enjoy the nightlife.

This schedule seems to suit me fairly well, though I'll usually tack on one day for pure exploration, and one day devoted to just my work. It's important for me to make sure I'm not skimping on either side.

Another necessary part of me being able to work successfully abroad, is finding an art store. I tend not to bring all my paints with me on the plane, so when we get to our first destination I'll lookup the neighborhood artstore and make a little pilgrimage out.

Eh, I might have gone a little bit overboard. But their selection of brushes was just fantastic. In addition to these new friends I also picked up a few tubes of acrylics and a small drop cloth to protect the surfaces of our accommodations.

The first few days are normally devoted to just soaking up the feelings of the city, learning the history, practicing some basic words in their language (or languages - I'm looking at you Brussels!) and scouting out places to paint. It's a nice way to acclimate to a new place and I'm really grateful our schedule allows us to be able to take it a bit slower, experience traveling without the rush.

Tomorrow we're headed to a few galleries and museums, and I am craving some pastries - so hopefully we can work in a bakery (or three) as well.

<3