On Location
The best itineraries, trips, travel tips and more from around the world.
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Creative Community: Art Bias Open Studios
I’m super excited to announce I have recently joined the Board of Directors at a local arts organization called Art Bias. This non-profit organization is true to my heart. Their mission is to not only provide affordable studio space for artists (in the San Francisco Bay Area this is HUGE), yet also their goals is to promote community by providing resources and opportunities for artists to grow and thrive! The Art Bias mission is to be a community where artists have access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. We provide affordable artist studios, professional development events and resources, exhibition opportunities, and a thriving community of artists interested…
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Seeing Green in Ireland and Northern Ireland
It only takes a few moments upon arrival in Ireland to realize why the country is nicknamed the Emerald Isle. Green is everywhere – vibrant, refreshing, rich greens, in every hue. One of my favorite creativity prompts while traveling is color. It’s such a simple idea, yet can truly open your eyes to seeing so much more than you expect when you explore a location! The goal is to choose a color in the morning before you head out, then when touring, be on the look out for it. When you see it, take a quick picture on your phone. At the end of the day, you can create a…
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Come Explore Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way with Creativity!
Come explore the rugged coast of Ireland and learn how to capture and paint a layered landscape of the Wild Atlantic Way! We will focus our tour on the Dingle Peninsula where we will explore the small port town with its colorful buildings and fishing boats. Then, we will “drive” along the coast and paint the stunning rugged coastline dotted with cottages, sheep and historic sites. This online class will begin with a “virtual trip” to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way where I will share with you loads of inspirational photos of the area. Following we will discuss a tried and true technique for making inspiring landscape art, then we will…
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Let’s Go to Hawaii and Paint Tropical Fish
Who doesn’t want to head to the tropics? Come on a virtual trip to Hawaii with me and let’s dive into the water and learn how to draw and watercolor tropical fish in this quick how to video! Be sure to pause the video along the way so you can practice drawing fun fish shapes, and adding splashes of watercolor in your favorite colors!
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Inspired by Maui, Hawaii
Maui, the second largest island in the Hawaiian island chain behind the Big Island of Hawaii, is nicknamed the Valley Isle. This name derives from the fact that the island is made up of two volcanoes (a volcanic doublet), where the lava flowed between the two to create an isthmus or valley connecting them. The older volcano to the west rises 5,777 feet above sea level and the younger volcano, Haleakala is more than 10,000 feet above sea level! Like most islands, Maui is filled with microclimates, from extremely wet areas to drier regions; warm regions to surprisingly cold ones (10,000’ elevation on Haleakala will do that, even if on…
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Mardi Gras
I can only imagine the buzz that is happening in Rio de Janiero, Brazil;, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Venice, Italy right now! It is Mardi Gras time (otherwise known as Carnevale in Venice and Carnaval do Brasil in Rio.) These cities are living it up before the religious season of Lent begins. Lent is a 40 day period that comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. It begins on Ash Wednesday, and ends with the Easter celebration. It is a season to reflect on the passion and sacrifices made by Jesus with fasting and penitence. Thus, the week before Lent begins cities around the world celebrate with one long party!! The…
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15 Minute Art Lesson: Learn How to Draw a Historic New Orleans Home
Follow along with this ~15 minute lesson and learn how to draw a New Orleans Garden District house, the Morris-Israel Home. We will virtually travel to NOLA where I will tell you a little about the house. Then, I will teach you a doodle approach to drawing the iron work sometimes called “iron lace” to give the impression of intricacy yet with a loose impressionistic approach. Following this lesson will not only show you how to draw this specific New Orleans home, but also teach your techniques to be able to draw houses and building around the world with similar ornate ironwork detailing. Be sure to share this video and…
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: New Orleans
New Orleans or NOLA as many like to call it, is a city full of vibrancy, energy, color and personality! It’s hard to find a city that embodies so must creative spirit, diversity and fascinating cultural aspects; music, food, religion, history, architecture, nature, traditions and so much more. Each one tells an inspirational story that can prompt endless amounts of creativity. Like most of the cities across the United States, NOLA is a true melting pot of people and traditions dating back to before the nation was even formed. Its proximity to the Caribbean as well as its French roots gives it an individual flavor unlike any other location in…
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15 Minute Art Lesson: Paint a Ski Mountain
It’s hard to find time to create art. I get it! Even though this is my profession, I can find it challenging too, yet devoting just 10 or 15 minutes can make me feel so good! I’ll be releasing a bunch of new short art lesson videos on You Tube over the next coming months with this heuristic in mind – quick, fun, easy 10-20 minute art lessons you can do and feel great about the outcome. First up, painting a ski mountain! Learn How to Paint a Ski Mountain Painting snow in watercolor can be quite challenging, as snow is inherently white, and although white does appear in many…
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Creative Wanderlust Prompt: Ski Week
The long days of winter can be exhausting for many in cold climates. I wonder if that is why schools across America embraced the notion of “Ski Week.” It’s not officially called this, it’s usually referred to as winter break, but out here in California, many call it ski week as people love to adventure to Lake Tahoe or other ski areas and celebrate the snow. I was fortunate to grow up going to Lake Tahoe often as a child. My grandparents had a condo at Lake Tahoe and this is where we spent many, many winter weekends and vacations. My dad loved to ski – even his dad was…