Painting in a caravan

Today I have been sorting the art supplies that I will be taking on our 2010 tour. Trying our the set up for painting outside, ‘on location’ or ‘en Plein air’ and also the inside the caravan studio equipment.

Small changes need to be made for the in the caravan painting studio to work best. There are certain rules I need to learn to live by.  These restrictions are not always easy ones to make when you are passionate about your creative pursuit, you do not always want to learn to work within the allowed space.

Changes I have made to suit working within a caravan are. 

1/ small palette, so I can work easily on a caravan table.

2/Odourless, non-toxic art materials because the painting studio is also a bedroom and occasional kitchen dining room and I do not like working with toxic substances anyhow.

3/Painting size needs to be small, as in this example of the painting of Daly Waters Pub.

4/Paintbrushes are best with short handles when working in small spaces. I have packed my preferred, long handle brushes for when i work out of doors, en plein air.

5/Pack everything I will need, I know I can always buy elcheapo kid’s quality art supplies in small town but the quality artist supply materials I use, are harder to find and often exorbitantly priced away from the main cities so I do not like to run out, while on a tour.

6/ If there isn’t enough space for the extra cooking pots and the art supplies, ditch the cooking gear and learn to cook in one pan, but never sacrifice art for domesticity. Lol, J

About the painting subject, ~ Daly Waters Pub

The Daly Waters Pub is a ‘must see’, stop over on the trip up through the centre of Australia. Each time we make the journey we stop over for the night, enjoy the famous barra and beef  evening meal with entertainment, camp in the paddock (oops camping ground) shower with cute little green and pale brown frogs (dozens of them J ) and leave refreshed the next day.

I have just finished my small flow formula acrylic painting of Daly Waters Pub. I have ordered some prints made from this original work. These will be ready for sale in early 2010

There are 25 A4 size prints, at $10. each, plus postage.

25 small business card size fridge magnets, these are $5. each, including postage within Australia, extra for shipping outside of Australia.

100 regular size postcards at $1. Each plus postage cost.

The original work will go on tour with us, in 2010. for sale, direct from the artist, from our caravan studio. POA

 

I toured, last week enjoying rose and perennial gardens in the Goulburn valley, Yarra valley and in the Dandenong Ranges of Victoria. I came home to my own late spring display of Delbard, French roses in my own small cottage garden that was inspired by the plants and romantic settings in the gardens of Giverny.

Today my flowerbeds have a colourful display of roses, the last of the bearded iris and the first of the summer lilies. I see the soft green foliage of grape vines and wisteria over arbours, back dropped by an avenue of poplar trees. I want to grab my French easel and paint, en plein air impressionist, garden pictures or head off into the field to paint the surrounding rural landscape. My mind turns to think about the great impressionist artists and the country that founded the impressionist movement ~ France.

The French impressionist Claude Monet, in particular, has inspired my life, both through his garden design and his art.

I would love to visit the great gardens of France, stay in quaint farmhouses, which have been set up as bed and breakfast accommodation and wander around the countryside of France, soaking in the atmosphere.

To visit Monet’s garden at Giverny, would, be to fulfil an artistic pilgrimage of appreciation to this great artist. I already know I would love the country and climate; it is similar to picturesque parts of my own homeland. I could imagine staying in quaint cottages and farmhouse bed and breakfast accommodation so I could soak in the atmosphere and beauty of the countryside of France.

The parks and gardens of Paris have been are described by others as places of elegance and artistic delight. Paris is famous for bringing the beauty of nature, right into the city. I would stay at Paris hotels, so I could tour the gardens of Paris. I adore the impressionist paintings of Parisians picnicking in parks and gardens. 

Sigh, (I am getting all dreamy. J ) Thinking about bed and breakfast and accommodations in Paris France, makes me want to paint even more, and plan a painting tour of Paris and France.

Links
Paris hotels  hotel paris metro mouton duvernet hotel metro saint augustin

Right now, though, I’m going to pack my French easel and go paint on location (en plein air), while I am feeling so inspired by the city and country, known internationally, for its fostering of the arts. J ,

Great news for seniors wanting to work in the US, there is no age limit for the E - 3 Working Visa. 

E-3 Visa is the new working Visa, Australians need to apply for the work in the United States.

The E-3 is a new visa for Australian nationals to work in specialty occupations in the U.S. It has many advantages over the other types of working visas, including the ability for spouses of E-3 recipients to apply for work authorization.

Will you be working in the United States? If so, the information in these web sites may be useful to you

Las Vegas Job Search
The United States, Embassy, Canberra, Visa Information 
 

The Australian and NZ dollar rise makes travel to the US, Mexico, Asia, Europe, cheaper but travel to New Zealand slightly more expensive at the moment.

Many of my friends are talking advantage of the strong Aussie dollar and travelling to the UK and Europe right now and with the hurricane season ending in November, hotels in acapulco in North America, looks attractive for Christmas holidays, with the Australian dollar having gained 20.8 per cent against the Peso.

Always a bargain destination, Thailand is now even better value, with the $A gaining 16.18 per cent. Also in Asia, popular shopping destination Singapore also offers good value, with the $A rising almost 15 per cent, while Bali has become even cheaper with the dollar rising 11 per cent against the rupiah.

The usually expensive United Kingdom has now become a bargain destination, with the dollar buying 56 pence, a rise of 13 per cent. Even the strong Euro has fallen against our dollar by almost 10 per cent.

Flight Centre spokesman Haydn Long said the main factor in more travelers heading overseas was discounted air fares, particularly on routes to the US and UK.

“I don't think the high Aussie dollar in itself sparks a massive rush for overseas travel, but it is seen as an added bonus,” he said.

A recent review of air fares by Flight Centre found that the combination of discounting with a better exchange rate meant travelers could expect to save more than $500 on return air fares to Los Angeles or London.

Sydney to Los Angeles flights had dropped from about $1600 to $1100, while Sydney to London flights is down to about $1400 from $1900.

Those are similar prices to what I paid on special rates, to travel abroad, more than thirty years ago, proving that international travel has never been more affordable.

Australian tourism venues have however suffered a double whammy with the international financial downturn and the Australian dollar’s rise causing the worst downturn in international tourist numbers with resulting job losses in the hospitality industry.

I remember a wonderful tour of California, at this time of year with the highlight being spending fall, in Yosemite National park, and apart from making an Aussie fool of myself by pronouncing Yosemite so it rhymed with Vegemite, I loved every moment of my visit. Standing in the Yosemite Valley, spellbound by the beauty of the surrounding hillsides covered in alternating deep green pines and brilliant fall coloured deciduous trees, the snow capped mountains behind them reflected in an ice edged flowing river, massive waterfalls in view in any direction, one of which was frozen solid a sight I had never before seen. Deers grazed in grass patches between snow piles. The view took my breath away with its unforgettable beauty, so different to anything I have seen in Australia. Many other areas of Northern California, reminded me of my home land, perhaps why I feel so at home in San Francisco.

 

With the Australian dollar souring in value against oversees currencies; many nomads might be planning an overseas holiday while the dollar is stretching so far.

There are some fantastic web sites filled with information for the adventurous traveller.  The Australian Government has travel advisory web site at Smart Traveller at a quick glance into the site I see it also gives some great advice on how to avoid internet scams. I have read the little black book of scams that can be ordered via this web site and consider it a 'must read' even if you never travel.

For the latest travel news go to travelweekly and
News.com Travel

My picture is of an award winning watercolour of snow at the Island of Briana, Venice, Italy. This original art work is available for purchase direct from me, the artist, Kathy Shell POA.
I am also now available 'in studio', to consider commissioned art works.

Reg and I are sharing moments, reminiscing, tonight. 
From the romantic escape for two, close to home, see those photos above to first class air fares to the nearest Australian state or roughing it in a swag on the ground to far away places.
Some of the best family holidays were Inexpensive, camping trips on the River Murray and we also took our children on luxury international tours. 
We have been to Theme Parks on the  Gold Coast, Australia, doing the tourist thing, to quiet wilderness experiences like some we have just experienced here in Karijini National Park, Pilbara, Western Australia.
We talked about, some of the beautiful sights in the United States, including spectacular Yosemite. New Zealand, Nauru and Yasawa Islands. These are just a few of the holidays Reg and I have enjoyed.

Some of these trips I actually won.  
I received an email from EBay telling me I had won a $1,000. travel accommodation voucher and I was about to delete it as SPAM,  when I decided to go into EBay and look on the announcements page and there sure enough it said, Kathy Shell, is the winner of the watif.com,  $1,000. travel accommodation voucher.

Using that watif.com, winning voucher, Reg and I initially booked in for a luxury 5 star mid week accommodation on the Mornington Peninsula, at ‘Arthurs Superb Views Luxury Retreat’, see photos above. Though in our 60’s, and normally into bush walking when on tour, Reg and I put up the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign, enjoyed house service meals, and in house movies and lazed in the spa bath or stayed in bed for three days and totally enjoyed to the fullest, our luxurious mid week break, not all that far from our own home.  

We were able to purchase our accommodation at a discount price, so the $1,000. went a long way and our eldest daughter Leanne, used the remainder of the voucher. Leanne used it, to book into an apartment on the Gold Coast, for a family holiday. She purchased a family, three year pass to Dream World and the family have been having holidays there every year and getting maximum benefit for their three year family pass.

I have been relatively lucky when it comes to winning travel prizes, both the cost of the travel and the luxury accommodation. I have enjoyed first class return air flights to Tasmania, won at a family golfing picnic day and earned as a sales bonus, an all inclusive, luxury family tour of Fiji plus spending money.  That stirred up a taste for travelling abroad and while this blog is primarily about our gray nomad years of travelling around Australia, Reg and I have enjoyed numerous holidays overseas.

One of our daughters, son in law and two grand children have the full set up of the caravan and land cruiser and they head out for adventure, make your own fun, road holidays and love camping close to the beach or with friends, near Lake Eildon and water skiing or going 4 wheel driving.

Our other, daughter and her family have become interested in scouting and bush camping holidays and they are beginning to look at overseas holiday destinations, like Reg and I did, when our family were also young.   It’s great to see the younger generation enjoying travel.  I know if they love Dream World on the Gold Coast of Australia they would adore looking at the possibilities, that orlando vacations, has to offer.