Every country around the world offers its own unique works of art—like those that can be found on our Nepal & the Mystical Himalayas adventure.
By Nancy Verber, 19-time traveler and 2-time Vacation Ambassador from Powell, OH
As a senior citizen with a few compromising health conditions, I am staying at home as much as possible during this pandemic. However, my house is filled with artwork that I have collected over the years traveling with O.A.T. and Grand Circle. Some pieces are as simple as handmade paper and post cards that were a craft project for our group. One is a unique woven wall hanging that I found during my first visit to Quito at the Olga Fisch gallery. Of course, when I returned to Quito several years later for a trip to the Galapagos with my granddaughter, we headed to Olga Fisch where I found other treasures. As I sit in a comfortable chair in my living room, I can look at all the pieces that have been added to my collection through traveling and immediately remember where they were purchased, the nature of the activity that took us to that location, and even the vendor (especially the young people in the markets). It’s like a slide show of my travels without ever having to set up a projector!
Trans-Atlantic & London
My first trip with Grand Circle was in 2004—flying to London, spending a week doing independent exploration, and returning home on a ship, the Queen Elizabeth II, a luxurious historical liner. While touring Westminster Abbey, my traveling companion and I stopped in the gift shop to browse. Being mindful of limited luggage space, I looked for something small to bring home as a memento. The first thing that caught my eye was a gorgeous tapestry of a Tree of Life. Well, it wasn’t small or inexpensive, but it is now in my art collection at home. Rolled up, it didn’t take up much room in my suitcase.
Ultimate Galápagos Exploration & Ecuador's Amazon Wilds
While on a trip to the Galápagos in 2004 with O. A. T., we spent a couple of days in Quito before heading to the islands. I asked at our hotel if they could recommend a shop which sold local craft items. The next day my small group of traveling friends went to Olga Fisch gallery and were totally blown away with the quality and variety of the items. After much deliberation, I settled on a unique woven wall hanging, unlike anything I had seen before. So, I bought it, rolled it up and stuffed it in my luggage and headed to the Galápagos where I bought a t-shirt.
Cuba: Music, Culture & the Roots of Revolution
This trip was a special offering by the Grand Circle Foundation. We had the good fortune to travel to the far east end of the island to Santiago de Cuba, the home of prominent artist Jose Aguilera. He died a few months before we arrived and his son was organizing and clearing out a small gallery that had displayed his work. I was attracted to an artist’s print of a deserted street scene and offered to purchase it. Done! Another addition to my home art gallery of travels.
Imperial China, Tibet & The Yangtze
I have a particular fondness for Asian art. When in China on an O.A.T. trip in 2010, we spent part of a day in a public park where a local art school was having an exhibition. The pieces were quality student work but not anything I wanted to take home. Then one of the students took me to another room in the pavilion where there was a display of outstanding pieces done by the school faculty members. Unfortunately, they were not for sale. When I asked about the artist who did one of the traditional scrolls that I loved, the student said the artist had taken a short walk in the park but would return soon. After a short wait, she came back and I talked with her about the subject and the meaning of several of the items in the painting. I then asked if she would consider selling the scroll and she was open to my offer. One more rolled up piece of art for my duffel bag!
When we visited the gallery (in a school gymnasium) of Cao Quantang, a folk painter, in Huzian, Shaanxi Province, I went a little overboard. His work is primitive and exceptionally colorful yet fascinating and depicts the many daily activities of local people. I couldn’t decide which prints I liked most so I ended up purchasing five—more things to roll up in my suitcase! They are all hanging in my home as a reminder of traditional activities in a small Chinese village.
While in Osaka, Japan in 2016, we walked quite a distance to a local handicraft store where there was an overwhelming collection of touristy items but not much that I would consider art—just typical kimonos, drums, sake sets, etc. After asking if they carried any pieces of two-dimensional art, I was directed to a small room where there were many prints scattered on a large table. Sorting through all the samurai, martial arts and "Hello, Kitty" prints, I spied a delicate print of birds on a flowering limb. One more thing to add to my collection. The group bought so many things that we had to take cabs back to our hotel.
Ancient Kingdoms: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam
While our group was making paper in a small village in Laos, I noticed a young woman making a tree of life using sand on banana paper. The design had won awards at local and regional art shows. I watched with admiration at the way she was gently distributing colored sand on her design. My only hesitation in buying one of those designs was that I was afraid the sand would come off if I rolled the artwork to transport it home. The shop owner then showed me a much smaller piece that I could sandwich in a book—sold!
There are many more pieces that adorn my home and there is a story to go with each. In Australia, an indigenous teacher/artist/guide took us to a sand mound in the outback where natives had passed down a story about an emu and a dingo. He said he had painted the scene, and I asked if he had any of his paintings for sale. He had sold all his inventory of that scene but offered to paint one for me and have it delivered to our hotel many miles away since we were traveling the next day. He did so and his painting now hangs in my home, complete with his handwritten copy of the emu story, framed, with a photo of the artist and me.
As I said at the beginning, the artwork and the photos from my travels are my company as I continue to remain at home during the pandemic. They remind me that there are still places in the world that I have not been. After all, I still have a few spaces on my walls for more art.
