Painting holiday memories

I’ve been privileged to have a week off work. I went to a shack on a family farm on Kangaroo Island SA with bush showers, no WiFi and it was bliss. With the only distractions, beach visits, jigsaw puzzles and wildlife, it was the perfect time to get creative. I’d packed my sketchbook and watercolours, and after a day of mini adventures I painted, reflected and captured how I was feeling.

There is something about looking back at the paintings I’ve done on holidays, day trips and longer travel trips, that evoke the mood of the place more than just scrolling back through happy snaps. So my camera roll is filled with photos but I also take photos of the art works I’ve created as a reminder of my trips. To me it transports me to the feeling not just the place. The photo I took is beautiful too, but viewing them together transports me back there in a deeper way.

Once home it inspired me to look back at some other times I’d travelled with my watercolours in tow. To see if, even with the distance of time, I could time travel back to the feeling. Scrolling through my photos looking at beauty and memories is certainly a healthier activity than viewing news alerts and work emails. Who wouldn’t want to be reminded of a boat ride in Borneo?

Or the gorgeous gorge’s of Central Australia…

I find I’m much more likely to flick back through images, than read back through a travel journal. Part of the benefits of travel are the anticipation and the memories, not just the trip itself- so why not take a creative moment on your next adventure- be it a day trip or a bigger adventure- and immerse yourself in a scene so you can take that feeling with you and by revisiting your art you can travel back there whenever you want. xx Em