I have always looked at my travels as one of my artistic expressions similar to the process of creating a work of art with layers of imagery, textures and lots experiences forming a lifetime of memories.
A Village House
MY travel excursions are meant to inspire me to create a new life or creative direction, and I am never disappointed.
Each time I visit a destination, a new layer of the experience is revealed, and the place is forever embedded into my memory. As I travel to a specific location my point of view is impacted with the colors, smells, sounds, and visual beauty and patina of the location. I can relate directly to the present experience with the history story of the place whispering in my ear . These memories have manifested in my body of art throughout my art career, it is not uncommon for the idea for new series to surface years later, showing up in a painting, a woodblock print or etching and the images in the artwork are directly influenced by the elements listed in this post. The texture of the stone in this village house along with the colors of the shutters have shown up numerous times in a palette or painting. Also the pattern of the cobblestones in the courtyard and the rod iron of the gates and the orange of the tree in this photo taken in Avignon.
Avignon Courtyard
Often the experience takes me back to my art studies of a specific time of the place or reminded of a personal experience in the past at the same location , with each new view a revelation of the culture and the people I have met along the way.
Travel Continues to connect me to the world and it’s people and this I find this is the greatest result of the wanderlust I have always possessed and loved.
I am always grateful for this opportunity.
Artwork in Village of Bagnols-sur-Cèze
My French Cottage ~ Mixed Media ~ Marti Schmidt
As I plan this years travel itinerary I hope you will consider joining Ken Jourdan and I this spring to France to begin an adventure and create your own point of view.
Provence from an artists’ point of view “ was created to share the experiences of these wonderful places with like minded individuals so that they too can create their own stories and memories.
Sign up and find more information here at Americans In Provençe
ONWARD and UPWARD