Why Artists Travel - The Importance of Place
A mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay, from Cill Rialaig Artists Retreat, Kerry, Ireland Aug. 2024. ©Amy Guion Clay
Travel and art are wonderful bedfellows. They are motivated by the same curiosity to enter the unknown. One is an outward journey, the other an inward journey. And once stretched by new ideas and experiences, we are never the same again.
It can’t be overstated that we as artists are influenced by our environment. Not just by our immediate visual world - the light, landscapes, sensory experiences, etc. But by our cultural conditioning and familial expectations.
The people in our circle may keep us defined and confined, in a place of predictability. This can create stagnation and limitation, and we may become fearful of growth and stepping out of the presupposed lines.
The craggy shoreline from the Braes on the Isle of Skye, and my painting response.
Skye of my Heart - ©Amy Guion Clay.
Stasis is all too common. Familiarity feels safe, and that’s ok. But there often comes a time when the urge to leave is stronger than the comfort of staying.
I felt this keenly, now 15 years ago, when my changing domestic life freed up my wanderlust. I was curious to know how much of my work was directed by my home environment of Boulder, CO, and what would happen if I made art outside of my current world. So I pulled up my roots and set out on a quest to discover just that.
A painting with a Spanish oak tree image on cardboard, from food packaging scavenged in Aracena, Spain. ©Amy Guion Clay
But it’s not just how we change in the moment - discovering new ways of seeing and being. It’s how it changes us forever more. The far reaching ripples of the stretched mind.
Yes, there is always a signature to my work when I travel, but there is no doubt that the work I do in one place could never have been created anywhere else.
My sketchbook cover from my residency on the Isle of Skye - without realizing it, the colors are a perfect match! ©Amy Guion Clay
Whether it’s using found materials discovered only in a particular place, a color palette that inspires a new direction, or photo imagery that clearly represents the sense of place, literal or not, our newfound environment takes our work in directions not previously explored, even if it’s in small and subtle ways.
A 13' wall collage at BigCi artist residency in the Blue Mountains of Australia, made with local maps, drawings, paintings and found leaves.
©Amy Guion Clay
So plan an excursion, even if just a day trip from your hometown, pack some simple watercolors or a plein air box, and get out of your comfort zone. Learn to see with fresh eyes and watch what evolves. You’ll stretch to bigger dimensions than ever before.