“What is it like to paint in a foreign country?” Here is a story about an experience I had of traveling abroad and painting, and you might find it entertaining:
I went to Hong Kong, and Taiwan as a recipient of a faculty Professional Development Grant from Earlham College. The purpose of this grant was to research the the relationship between classical or traditional Chinese art and contemporary Western art, and how these two influence each other. To do this I had been offered a kind a very generous home-stay experience with friends of mine from my graduate art school days, and with their assistance and guidance met and interviewed artists of both schools of practice, took courses in traditional Chinese brush painting and signature stone-seal carving, and also traveled to different parts of Taiwan to learn about the culture and country. In addition to my research, one of the goals of the grant was for me to make a body of art which was to be presented in an art exhibit the following February.
During my six weeks in Taipei, I traveled about the central city by public transportation, using buses and occasional taxis to attend my classes, meet with artists, go to parks, and visit art galleries, and historical, art, and cultural museums. Shortly after my arrival I learned that it simply wasn’t going to be practical to carry my oil painting gear and wet canvases about the city as I had hoped possible and had been led to believe. As I do not speak many words of Mandarin, communicating my destination needs to taxi drivers was an interesting challenge which didn’t always end in the desired results, and so I more often resorted to using buses. However, the buses had very limited seating and usually were mostly standing room only, and were packed tight like a New York City subway train during rush hour.
As a result of this situation you can probably easily appreciate the surprise and amusement of some fellow travelers and the consternation or annoyance of others as the buses were far too crowded for me to easily, comfortably, or safely stand and hold my paint box and an easel – plus a freshly wet oil painting – while at the same time trying to hold onto an overhead metal bar, a floor pole, or hanging hand strap, especially as the buses would depart from a bus stop with a sudden surge that would jerk everyone off balance and backward, or they would stop suddenly, sometimes unexpectedly, which had the opposite effect and would throw everyone forward against each other. Understandably, this transportation situation limited my intentions to go out oil painting each day, and instead I mostly made drawings or watercolor paintings of cityscape views.
One of my most favorite places to visit in Taipei was this national memorial. The grounds of the memorial are beautiful, and the size of it is impressive. The garden and park area surrounding the memorial hall are about a half mile long by a quarter mile wide. I would come there several times per week to draw or paint, and it pleases me that I have this small oil painting as a reminder of my time and experiences there, the adventurous bus rides, and the trip in general.