If you could travel anywhere in the world to paint, where would you go? I shared a similar question a few weeks ago, asking where was the best place for an artist to live in the US. So many good ideas came pouring in, and hundreds of suggestions from art friends. Islands and coastal regions and places with palm trees in the US were top picks, but if you could expand your painting dream to the entire world, just imagine where you could go!

Where does your artist’s heart long to see, more than anywhere else in the world? Would you choose a historic city, countryside, mountains, rain forests, or perhaps an ancient village with a really nice gelato establishment and great shopping? Would you want to paint historic cathedrals or tropical gardens along the southern European coast? Just thinking about the possibilities makes me want to reach for a paint brush!

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from painting overseas is that there are kind people everywhere. We may speak different languages, but we have more in common than our differences. There are moms and dads, grandparents who adore their grandbabies, and people who love all the same things we do – flowers, good food, learning about new people and places, and making new friends. It’s hard to feel alienated from someone who spends 20 minutes explaining to you with hand gestures how to store the fresh picked apples from their garden they’ve just given you as a gift! And the funny thing is, in  Europe, artists are still revered. Sharing that you are there to paint someone’s beautiful countryside is sometimes all it takes to make a lifelong friend!