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Comment by Deb Martin on May 3, 2013 at 0:37

Thanks for the suggestions! I was wondering the same thing myself.

Lori, do you use a pochade box? I'm thinking of investing in one, since I only have a half-box French easel and I think it'll be too clunky to bring.

Comment by Lori Putnam on May 1, 2013 at 13:08

Hi Lynda et al,  Here are some tips from my blog on traveling to Europe to paint. Tips for the Winged Artist.

You'll also find packing tips here: Tips_MSDS.pdf

Making my plane reservations this week!

Comment by Tony Robinson on May 1, 2013 at 10:41

Hi Lynda,

I'm assuming you have your own painting set-up (pochade and tripod) as all you will generally find here in Ireland are full and half French easels. Anyone over here in Europe who has anything else has probably made it or imported it from the USA where there are so many more available. We lag behind in those!

Regarding consumables, such as paint and to a lesser extent, brushes, as you are coming for several weeks, you could just buy a set here. In Wexford, if you are heading there first, you'll find Michael Harding oils, Winsor & Newtone (Artists' and Winton ranges) and Daler-Rowney oils. Also there are Rosemary Brushes as well as other brands but brushes are more personal so you may want to bring a few favourites with you.

Europe also lags behind in lightweight panels. We don't have the range you have in the US. Most plein air artists here use the readily available canvas panels (primed  cotton canvas glued onto cardboard), stretched canvases or make up their own.

The lightest way to travel is to cut loose primed canvas one inch bigger each way than your painting size and to tape the loose canvas to a light panel of your chosen size using masking tape. At the end of your trip, interleave with grease-proof paper and roll the paintings gently inside a postal tube for carrying or posting home. A little Liquin medium will ensure your paintings are touch-dry enough to do this up to 2 days before departure homeward.

Finally, if you want to mail some of your gear a couple of weeks in advance, you can use the Spectrum address (see the advertisement in the column on the right) and they will store it for you to collect on arrival.

Comment by Lynda Moore on May 1, 2013 at 3:19

I have my airline ticket, I gave my room booked, now I need advice on what to bring with me to paint. As an oil painter, it feels overwhelming. Any suggestions?

Comment by Lori Putnam on April 1, 2013 at 22:01

Rhonda, You'll have no problem with the greens since you're from Longmont! It's the neutrals that always get me in Ireland. Lots of sensitive greys.

Comment by Rhonda McCay on April 1, 2013 at 18:44

I just bought my tickets.  I am getting so excited.  I arrive on the 22nd.  Looking forward to getting some "Green" paintings in before the event starts.  Karen, we will arrive in Wexford on the 28th.

Comment by Karen Scannell on April 1, 2013 at 18:28

Thanks Charlie and Lori..There are a few options there for people depending on the type of phone you are going to  use.

For anyone thinking of buying an Irish sim card , here's a useful link :

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowTopic-g186591-i88-k4793989-Where_to_p...

Comment by Lori Putnam on April 1, 2013 at 18:01

I have skype on my iphone. If I happen to be on wi-fi, the calls are free. If I am not, the calls are still dirt cheap.  I've been in Europe for months and never gone over about $10. using it.  I do use it more sparingly than I do at home though. A local toss phone isn't the best option for me personally since most of my calls are back to the U.S.

Will miss you Elaine! I'll drink a pint for you.

Comment by Charlie McCarthy on March 31, 2013 at 17:20

When I'm overseas, I usually buy a local throw away phone and a local sim card for about $20.  That way if the locals call me or I call them, it's a local call.  I haven't done it in Ireland yet.  US cellphones are usually locked to the carrier and you can't use a foreign sim card, but many overseas phones aren't.  If you already have an unlocked phone, you can get a local sim card which has a local phone number and a certain number of minutes.  Just plug it in your unlocked phone and go.

Comment by Elaine Hurst on March 31, 2013 at 13:38

I will watch this with interest.  When I traveled to Ireland, and other countries, I never took a phone, but very much wished I had one.  

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