Carry-on, carried away!

It's been a busy spring with more irons in the fire than usual, and one of those irons has involved my foray into portrait painting along with letterpress and other types of printing. Of particular note was the excellent Portrait Society of America conference in DC this April, which afforded not only the chance to meet, mingle with and learn from with some incredibly talented artists, but there was also shopping to be done!

I didn't go crazy, but I couldn't resist a pile of books, some brushes from Silver Brush, and a new palette from Turtlewood Palettes. The latter was a special purchase because I have never before owned a proper artist's palette, I have always used an old storm window pane!

Not one to mess around I got the largest size they had which was surprisingly light and comfortably weighted. Of course the one element I hadn't taken into account was the dreaded new carry-on luggage rules (and charges.) I couldn't cram the thing into my luggage and wasn't about to leave it's fate to checked baggage, so not having time to ship it I begged a cardboard box and some tape from the front desk at the Hyatt Regency Reston, an amiable and helpful group I must say!

We taped up the box and addressed it, should checked baggage be the only way to go, and I added the obligitory 'fragile' and 'do not bend, fold, staple, mutilate or otherwise destroy' phrases of the hopeful parceller. Then it was off to the airport!


The TSA people checked with hidden TSA people behind closed doors, and came back with the verdict that it could go carry-on. It almost got stuck in the X-ray conveyor (adding to a security person's lovely day, I am sure) but all was well on the first leg of our flight. It was when we boarded the second, commuter, plane and all luggage had to be left on a luggage cart that things got a bit dicey.

There I was, waiting in my seat for takeoff, when a flight attendant yelled "Does anyone have luggage that is a cardboard box?" and of course, I knew that was me! I waved assent and she quickly raced to the door of the plane, yelling at the luggage handler who was driving off with my flat, taped up, refuse-like package still on his carrier! He circled back and my 'luggage' was put in the cargo hold along with the other more presentable bags.

Whew! Thanks very much, sharp-eyed attendant! Gosh knows where that palette would have ended up.

And so it went from plane to bus to ferry to another bus, and finally to the studio Vineyard Haven where it is pictured with my new brushes (green handles) waiting for some paint!