Baguio, photo by ossiak
For an artist, a sketching trip is the best kind of vacation. And for an artist living in the Philippines, nothing beats Baguio for its breathtaking mountain scenery and cool weather.
In 1979, I was spending most of my spare time painting. So when friends invited me to spend a week at their home in Baguio, I was sorely tempted to leave my kids in Manila with my husband and the maids and go. “You can spend every day sketching,” Deli assured me. “John will go to work; I’ll putter around the house; and our driver will take you anywhere you want to go.”
That clinched it. I packed up my sketch pad and the jeans and sweater I wore only on home leave. Manila, with its hot tropical climate, is a sleeveless dress sort of place. But Baguio is more than 5000 feet above sea level. Its average high temperature is in the low seventies. Its average low is 59 degrees Fahrenheit.
After a hair-raising ride up the mountains on Kennon Road, we settled into the cozy routine Deli had promised. Every morning we ate breakfast together–scrambled eggs, toast, fruit and coffee.
The first day we started out early so John, a geologist who was intimately familiar with Baguio’s mountains, could point out some good spots before the driver dropped him at the office. Then I’d choose a spot and the driver would take me there and wait while I sketched the view.
I ended up with a sketchbook full of mountain scenes.
I’ve lost many of the sketches and sold or given away some of the paintings based on those sketches. A few remain though. Here’s a simple sketch I turned into a simple batik painting:
I made a batik from the faded sketch below, but I either sold it or it’s in a closet somewhere.
Here’s another sketch and some batik paintings.
Since my sketching trip to Baguio, I’ve been on cruises and stayed at nice beach resorts. But when I think of a luxurious vacation, the trip to Baguio comes to mind. Imagine! I had a driver at my disposal. My generous hosts served me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I had the whole day to sit on a mountainside and sketch. What a deal!
Do you have a favorite kind of vacation?
I would kill to experience such a vacation! 😀
I have never had a worry-free vacation. My trips are always packed with scheduled activities. I’d love to be able to do things you do in Baguio!
Sometimes scheduled activities are good on a trip–if someone else does the planning. I’m not fond of figuring out maps and train and plane schedules and choosing hotels and tourist attractions. Some people love that part of a trip.
I guess well-planned trip has its positive aspects. I just really dislike heavily scheduled vacation. I hate being dragged out of an interesting place too soon because we got many other places to visit in a day! 😀
My favourite vacations are those that are veeeery long… however, I don’t have that kind of luxury anymore!
When I was a kid, we didn’t take many vacations. My dad liked to work, so most of our trips lasted only three or four days. Maybe I’m a little bit like my dad, and that’s why I liked my one-week sketching trip to Baguio: there was an aspect of work to it. Mostly now, I prefer trips that last 3-10 days.
Fabulous! Your sketches and paintings are amazing! I wish I could sketch well enough to carry a travel journal. I depend on my camera to capture the sights for me.
I don’t sketch often. It’s too time consuming for most trips. But when I do take the time to sketch, I enjoy it. It feels meditative. There’s no better way to appreciate a sight.
You’re so talented. If I could really draw + paint, I’d love a sketching holiday! I’d probably do a writing/drawing sketch book, but alas, I don’t have the time right now to sink my teeth into such a project. Do you do much drawing these days?
I don’t do any drawing now, Lani. I seem to be able to handle only one thing at a time.
Those are some very life-like drawings with a lot of detail, Nicki. It must be a nice feeling to have salvaged some of them after all these years. Did you have enough time each day to draw at each place? It must have been very liberating to be by yourself, seeing all those views and letting your inner creativity take over. Amazing how you recreated what you saw many years later into batik paintings.
Actually, Mabel, I started working on my batiks soon after I returned from Baguio. The Philippines was a good place for doing batik because the weather was always warm (hot), so I could work outside and let the fumes from the heated wax float away. I had frames and heaters set up in our carport. After leaving the Philippines, I stopped doing batik.
Gorgeous screen, Nicki . . . seeing your batiks is always a treat!
I’ve been on some marvelous vacations, always elevated by good food, good weather, and good company.
Good food, good weather, and good company sound like the main ingredients of an enjoyable vacation. For good measure, stir in a good attitude and the ability to overlook small annoyances.
Good point! 😀
Oh my gosh ~ your paintings are gorgeous! That scenery is stunning and you’re VERY talented, Nicki. I hope you still take some time to paint now and then.
Nope. I don’t paint at all anymore. I’m totally out of practice. I have a couple of friends, Jamaliah Morais and Homoon Chung, who studied Chinese painting with me and who still paint today, but I imagine they have worked at it consistently all these years.
Here are some links for Jamaliah and Homoon:
http://www.jamaliahmorais.com/
http://www.koreaittimes.com/story/22346/homoon-wollock-chungs-brush-painting
Thank you, Nicki!
These are absolutely gorgeous, Nicki. I’m so happy you shared them with us.
My favorite kind of vacation is one where I’m on my own clock.
Thank you, Jill.
I think generally I do prefer being on my own clock too, especially as I get older and slower. I have had some good vacations, though, during which I’ve had to keep up with the group. One that comes to mind is a Rick Steves’ tour of Sicily and southern Italy. It was tiring at times, but we covered a lot of ground and explored some really fascinating places.
Do your talents never end! I want that screen….beautiful. Mindy
Thank you, Mindy. It used to be a four-paneled screen. Then my daughter’s cat took a flying leap and landed, claws out, on the first panel. After doing the batiks, I took them to Brother Carlo at Don Bosco Technical College, and the students made the wooden frames.
Love your work! The weather sounds perfect there. I’d love to live someplace that moderate. A driver at your disposal? OMG! I’d be in heaven.
I also vote for weather moderation. I know someone from the East Coast, though, who didn’t like Seattle because, “It doesn’t have seasons.” By which he meant that it doesn’t have blistering hot summers and snow-covered winters. Oh, well. He’s entitled to his opinion.
The driver was a nice luxury for that week. Some expats in Manila hired a driver rather than buying a second car. I just drove my husband to work each day. Then, when his office moved farther away, he and some neighbors hired a mini-bus and driver and gossiped (I assume) about work and office politics all the way there.
I hate driving. I would love to have a driver.
Oh, lovely! You have talent — were you never tempted to illustrate your book? Or do the cover?
My favorite vacations are ones with scenery — mountains, or something on the horizon. And trees. And minimal cars. I can’t draw, but I can appreciate.
Years ago I thought of writing and illustrating a children’s book. Both are very specialized skills, though, harder than most of us might imagine. I was involved in putting together the cover of Tiger Tail Soup. The background is from one of my paintings, and I chose the fonts and colors. But I had no idea how to put it all together. Designing good book covers is another specialized skill.
I also like vacations with scenery and a minimum of cars.
What a lovely place for an artist sojourn! I can imagined being transported to Baguio. Thanks for the share.
Over the years, I have been on budget holidays and on an all expanses paid holiday but I have not been to a resort yet. The most important factor that matters to me are the company I am with (that includes meeting people).
I have just come back from a week long holiday in Istanbul. It is a city of great contrast; the have nots and those who would be content to push the boat out (?). I would like to explore the city on another trip.
You bring up a crucial ingredient of a pleasant holiday: people, those you travel with and those you meet along the way.
I just clicked through some images of Istanbul. It appears to be a very large city, one that requires more than one trip to explore it well. I hope you enjoyed your trip.
I love to see more of your artwork, Nicki. You are talented and creative. Thanks for the links to your friends paintings. Lovely work.
You are right, Istanbul is a big city. It’s seeped in history. I have only scratched the surface. Yes, I had a fantastic time, thank you. I didn’t go on any tours. As I left Tokapi Palace at 4pm, a tour group pulled in. It’s not possible to view the Palace and harem in an hour especially if you want to take pictures. A lot of visitors avoid the Asian side of Istanbul but there are gems waiting to be discovered.
In your previous posts, you mentioned about the little things that matter and gratitude; I was mindful in Istanbul. I think when one goes with an open heart and mind, one will generally get a better reception. You are right about stirring in a good measure of good attitude and the ability to overlook small annoyances. You are a sage, Nicki.
I don’t know if I’m a sage, but you are definitely a good traveler.
Oh Nicki! Thank you for sharing your sketches! Lovely work. And what a wonderful vacation!
I have a group of writer friends that I take a retreat with each year. We’re usually in a cabin in a beautiful setting. We’ve been to the mountains in Utah, the middle of Austin (TX), and a country cabin in Pennsylvania. We get up, eat when we want, and write (or sketch if we feel like it), then take a walk whenever we want. Very leisurely.
I love seeing the varieties of plant and animal life. Deer, birds (bluebirds!!), bears, coyotes (though we have those at home), trees, etc.
Your yearly writers’ retreat sounds wonderful! Instead of going to a writers’ conference and listening to lectures, you spend your time writing and walking. And how smart you are to go to a different place each year so you can enjoy a variety of flora and fauna!