14 artistDecember 2019 http://www.painters-online.co.ukINSPIRATION
F
or an accelerated and focused
learning experience as a painter,
there’s little that can beat being
away from the daily routine,
especially when surrounded by like-
minded painting enthusiasts.
I always enjoy travelling with other
painters and my trips have taken me
around the world. My approach to
painting holidays is to be involved
in the choice of location and I teach
a little through demonstrating and
group discussion, but much of the
real learning and teaching goes on
individually as I try to keep tabs on
where everyone is working and I try
to drop in on them at just the right
moments through the day.
At the end of each day we gather for
informal conversation and to share
experiences about paintings done and
subjects spotted. If a topic comes up
that concerns several artists, this is
a good time for a bit of teaching or a
spur-of-the-moment demo. It’s a really
fruitful part of the experience.
Dinners are relaxed social occasions
where we get know each other better
and enjoy convivial conversation. This is
also when I make sure everyone knows
what we expect to do the following day.
I fi nd this less formal approach allows
individuals to develop quickly and
I’m always amazed at the roomful of
paintings and drawings displayed in our
informal exhibition on the fi nal evening.Painting holiday
FAQ s Richard Pikesley, The Artist painting holiday
tutor, answers some of your queries about
joining a painting holiday
Q What painting kit should
I take on a trip?
A These days I concentrate on keeping the
weight and the complexity to a minimum. I
generally take my oil painting kit and have
a lovely old half-box easel that holds loads
of brushes and tubes but is much less bulky
than its bigger brother. Importantly, it has
cranked hinges on the folding palette,allowing me to fold it up to move without
squashing the paint. I like using a pochade
box and, depending on the location,
sometimes take this instead of an easel.
Without the spread of an easel’s legs, it’s
easier to work discretely and to i nd
somewhere to tuck yourself in. A little
folding stool allows me to work on my
lap, or I’ll i nd a wall to balance the box
on and work standing up. I generally take
lightweight boards to paint on rather
than canvases, again to save on bulk. I use
sketchbooks most days, and away from
home I’ll have two in my bag, so that if I’m
using watercolour I can alternate between
books to avoid turning a page and blotting
a still wet study. My preferred sketchbooks
are robust hardback books with HP paper
that will take a lot of punishment and allow
me to use pencils and pens in the same book
as watercolour. Some tubes of watercolour
and white gouache plus a few brushes and
pencils completes my travelling kit.
If your main interest is watercolour the
materials and equipment will weigh less;
paper pre-cut into quarter sheets will be
big enough for most needs, and by taking
thicker paper that won’t need stretching, a
heavy drawing board becomes unnecessary.
Lightweight ply or even foam core board
cut just a little larger than your paper will
be robust enough. And remember, all your
painting equipment and materials must be
securely packed in your hold luggage if you
travel by air. The palette in my half-box easel can be
folded without squashing the paint, which
leaves me free to move whenever I want and
have a loaded palette ready for work My pochade box holds everything,
including a range of sizes and shapes of
painting boards. A lightweight folding i shing
stool completes the kit