Traveling Light with Watercolor...as a Lifestyle
Turning the corner on this phase of my life has been like turning a ship around…slow but steady, a little bit at a time.
I am 63, and I wonder (have I seriously been around for this long?).
Lighten the gear, lighten the load
The thoughts of ‘Traveling Light with Watercolor” began back in 2009. During that recession, my oil painting sales were slowing to a crawl. I decided that ‘just for fun’, I’d pick up my watercolors again. I was a plein air painter, and even though I had ‘lightened my load’ quite a bit, the oils and gear were heavier to haul around on a longer hike to a great view. And don’t get me started on international air travel! I once had several palette knives and a pair of pliers (used to open tubes of paint) confiscated in security…. (while the lady across from me on the plane carried a pair of very fine knitting needles - go figure!
So the watercolor just became more fun and a lot less trouble, especially when it came to travel. Even local plein air ventures were a lot easier with a lighter load to carry. Then people started asking, “Teach me to do what you’re doing - that looks like fun”. I found that I enjoyed teaching in watercolors even more than I did teaching oil painting.
I began teaching in my home studio on Tuesdays, a morning class and an evening class. Then the pandemic happened, so I began teaching online. I was two weeks into a six week series in March 2020 - and we all wanted to continue. Thank goodness for Zoom. Since then I’ve enjoyed teaching students from all over the United States and as far away as Japan! And of course - I still love teaching workshops abroad. I’ve had the good fortune of teaching in Ireland, France and Italy.
Light-heartedness…part of traveling light
But back to Zoom - I recently finished teaching a class series called “Birds, Blooms & Beaches”. My intention (when this idea arose in early winter) was to share techniques through some of the most fun topics that I typically crave during winter when spring seems slow to arrive. It was the most fun class I’ve taught yet! Another intention in this class was to bring in a bit of ‘whimsy’. It’s honestly something I had been seeking to bring more of into my work for the last twenty years…..’but I wasn’t quite sure how’! I come from a background of classical training and the old fears of “what on earth will people think?” would arise with every whimsical creative thought I had. Finally, I didn’t quite care what “OTHER PEOPLE” thought….only what me, myself and I…and what my students thought!!! Would it be fun, could I still convey solid art concepts and techniques with some of these ideas? Yes, of course! It was slowly dawning on me that seeking ‘light-heartedness’ was going to be a part of my ‘Traveling Light with Watercolor’ theme of my life.
Allowing a sense of play in our work can really help us find that light-heartedness we are seeking!
lighten the body- return to health-you can’t outrun your fork!
The third thing I’ve done this year that I initially thought was unrelated, was to lose weight. I had hit my maximum weight over the winter, and my lab tests were NOT looking great either. If I didn’t turn this around, I’d be staring down Type II Diabetes, right between the eyes. I knew I did NOT want to go down this route. I already have some hereditary health issues I’m managing, so this was indeed the slippery slope. I also was very tired of feeling sick and tired. Is this what post-menopausal aging was all about? I knew I needed to be mindful of what I ate (but that went the way of ‘comfort’ during early covid-shutdowns). I also knew that I had to find some kind of physical activity that I could keep up on a regular CONSISTENT basis - something sustainable. (You can’t outrun your fork). I used to be a runner, but I knew that wasn’t in the cards for me right now. I didn’t particularly want to join a gym, I preferred something I could at least start at home. I had come across @trainwithjoan on Instagram. Joan MacDonald is her name, and she absolutely turned her health around. It really woke me up that a body could change so drastically! It was a bit like ‘aging in reverse’. I came across another trainer that I tried for a while, but there were too many HIIT exercises (High Intensity Interval Trainings) - and after giving that a try, I realized, it just wasn’t for me. About that time in early January of this year (2023) I then came across @dolphinine on Instagram. Julia Linn is just a few years older than me, and is a double transplant recipient of thirty years. Well, that caught my eye. I started trying out some of her weight resistance exercises that she posted. “I can DO this!!” I realized. I wanted something slow and steady that wouldn’t leave me ending up with an injury and months in physical therapy! I’ll cut to the chase - From January to early June of this year, I’m down 17 pounds! I’m NOT HUNGRY! I’m eating REAL whole food. And best of all - I’m feeling stronger!!! I can garden ALL WEEKEND like I used to ten years ago! (Just last year I was ready to croak after 30 minutes of garden work). I realized how much more energy I have - which translates to time in the studio….another link to ‘Traveling Light with Watercolor’!
I’m sure you’ve noticed how good it feels to walk along the shore.
Lighten your home environment
Finally, the last leg of ‘Traveling Light with Watercolor’, our surroundings - or home environment. In my case my studio is in my home, and I spend a huge amount of time here. When projects pile up, it can get more than a bit cluttered. The rest of my house doesn’t seem to have quite this issue, but my studio sure does. As I’ve transitioned from seeing myself as an ‘oil-painter’ to a watercolorist, I have supplies that I haven’t used in ages. I DID give away most of my acrylic paints and many huge canvases to another artist friend. I felt she could put them to use immediately, and they were just sitting around in my way. I’ve been a prolific painter over the last thirty years. Sold a LOT of work, destroyed or recycled some, and some I have stored. Over my lifetime I’ve seen ‘de-cluttering’ not as a one-and-done project, but something that needs to be done on a regular basis - as a good habit (sort of like exercise).
weekly topics on the blog
As my thoughts have recently been turning all around ‘Traveling Light with Watercolor’ and seeing how all these things were linked in my life…AND for this TIME of my life, I found I really wanted to share these thoughts with others of the same mind. That last class I taught made me realize that many of us in this ‘age group’ (I’ll just say 50s-70s plus), may be seeking some of the same things. We are either recent ‘empty nesters’ or nearing retirement. We’ve been at the top of our game in one field of expertise, but we’d like to explore new ideas. We are that ‘sandwich generation’ who may have aging parents and young adult children or grandchildren now! With the daily news becoming hard to watch at times, we crave some light-heartedness in our lives. And it’s okay to want that!
My hope and intention is to share these topics and ideas on a weekly basis with my readers! For the four weeks of each month I’ll cover different ways to bring ‘Traveling Light with Watercolor’ :
Week 1 - I’ll share about techniques and supplies relevant to ‘Traveling Light with Watercolor’, possibly share a video tutorial as well.
Week 2 - I’ll talk about traveling light physically- getting into a healthy mindset (mindset for your art and physical health are closely related!)
Week 3 - Light-heartedness - bringing a sense of play into your watercolor practice!! (ooh, this is the FUN part!!) again, videos to support this!
Week 4 - Traveling Light in your home environment - how your surroundings really support you in this lifestyle.
And of course - we have a private Facebook group for anyone seeking this journey, ‘Traveling Light with Watercolor’. My vision is for it to become an active idea sharing space. I’m looking forward to this next decade of my life with these concepts in mind!
I’ll leave you with this 16 minute video tutorial about my favorite plein air bag for sketching, and all the ‘necessary’ things I take with me to sketch outdoors. It’s the season - let’s get out and enjoy it! Please leave a comment on this post if you like, and of course, share with someone who might enjoy this!