Why I Switched to Painting Travel Art Exclusively
- Halee Porter
- May 16
- 2 min read
When I made the change from painting pets and mushrooms to painting my travels, something big clicked into place.
For the last few years as I've gotten back into the swing of painting, I focused on "easy art": things that I was comfortable painting - animals, mushrooms, flowers. I got really good at pet portraits, and thought perhaps I'd found my niche.
But I was destined for something much more expansive.
Everything changed when I owed a friend a huge favor, and she asked me for a painting of Amsterdam. She grew up there and the city meant a lot to her. She'd helped me out in a big way, and of course I wanted to do this for her.
The problem?
I couldn't paint in perspective (and if you know anything about Amsterdam, it's a perspective-challenged artist's nightmare). I couldn't draw rows of houses perfectly and realistically.
At least, I thought I couldn't. Because I'd never tried.
When I said yes to my friend's request, I opened myself up to a challenge. I stepped beyond my easy, comfortable art, knowing very well that I could fail.
And instead?
I learned that perspective - this big scary monster that I've avoided my entire art career - is easy.
And I learned that I love painting places.
It's only natural ~ ever since graduating high school, I've travelled as much as possible. I've lived in China and Italy, and have journeyed to 9 countries so far.
When I travel, I try to immerse myself in the culture as much as possible. If given the choice, I'll always stay one month in a single location, rather than going to 20 places and not really experiencing any of them.
And when I paint these places, I prioritize that same depth over breadth. Each of my pieces has personal meaning to me.
When I made the change from painting pets and mushrooms to painting my travels, something big clicked into place. It felt like coming into alignment with my whole self - the self that loves exploring new places and cultures, and the self that loves creating meaning through art.
Interested in being the first to know about new pieces as I create them, and learn about their personal meaning? Join my Email Club for Wanderers and follow along on the journey!
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