And he said to me there are two types of artists Ruth, those who paint what’s in front of them and those that live life, absorb it, take it all in and then reveal it on the canvas.
I asked what am I?
He said you’re the second Ruth, go live life and then paint. And I did, I took the advice of my lecturer at NAS.
I taught for three years my first year at Macksville High School which was quite an experience, and the next two years at Ingleburn High School. During those three years I saved half my salary with the idea of travelling overland to London and possibly further.
It was an extraordinary experience that has informed my life. An education I’m grateful I gave myself although the experience was confronting, tiring, amazing and most of all a revelation to me.
After much searching I found there was a double-decker bus, named Albert, leaving from Calcutta travelling Overland to London. My parents were aghast that I should think about such a trip. They felt that there were safer ways of travelling to London than that! True but cost wise much better and I could stretch my money further for travelling.
We flew to Singapore January 9 1975. After time there travelled through Malaysia, up to Thailand visiting Chiang Mai, then flew from Bangkok to Kathmandu and from there took the bus to Pokhora for a week. After spending time in Kathmandu, we flew to Calcutta and discovered on our arrival that the ship bringing Albert had been delayed two weeks. I spent those two weeks in Calcutta staying with Mrs Sidhwa at her guesthouse in Sudder Street. It gave me time to sit and be involved with what was actually happening on the streets, talking to locals and given a greater understanding of life in Calcutta. And the experience of a visit to a dentist for a tooth ache.
During the trip with Albert we had a roster where those rostered on would shop and cook for the group. We slept in 2 tiered bunks in the upper level with room under for luggage. In all there were 16 of us. To us we thought it was crowded but if we stopped in large towns, particularly in India, people would gather at the windows to gaze in wonder at the amazing luxury of these people travelling in such style in a bus
We had been warned about issues that could arise as we travelled across countries during the trip. One issue was not to even think about taking drugs of any sort across borders. If so we’d be on our own. If caught with drugs penalties in most countries it could be punitive. Water wasn’t to be trusted and needed to be treated and it was better not to eat meat. Reading my diary of the trip it seems we ate an awful lot of bananas mainly because they came with their own wrapping.
After India, which was a predominantly a Hindu nation we would be travelling in Muslim countries. We were told that treatment of women changed from country to country particularly in this part of the world. The cultural requirement of women was different to what we were used to at home. It’s hard to engage with someone who’s wearing a full burga, even a niqab, but I do remember one time in the older quarter of Mashed a woman was walking towards me in a burga and I thought I’ll say hello anyway as a response to the decreed anonymity imposed on women. As we passed each other I gave a greeting and was not expecting a reply when a cultured voice in English replied with a greeting to me. I turned around and watched as she walked away to see under the burga the flash of red clothing. It seems joy in life may be covered but it’s still there! A whole world of emotion can be raised with just one interaction as it was for me with this.
I realized the men on the trip weren’t aware or didn’t see the treatment as it didn’t impact on them. I had asked Bruce if he would come with Ioleen and myself on a trip in a cart explaining it would be safer. As we were travelling along I pointed out to him the behaviours of men not used to seeing women out and about relatively unclothed. To coin a phrase they were uninhibited and sometimes confronting in response to the situation. Bruce was quite shocked and took it upon himself that if needed he would join us on outings. It was appreciated.
We travelled from India into Pakistan and then we travelled up the famous Kyber pass to Afghanistan and Kabul. After Afghanistan, we travelled to Iran then into Turkey, travelling to Istanbul and from there to Bulgaria, Serbia, Austria, Germany, and finally Belgium for the ferry to Dover. The trip itself took over 3 1/2 months and on arrival at in London I was exhausted. I visited a relative in Bristol to recover.
I then travelled to Holland and from there flew to Athens with my backpack to find the hostel in the Plaka area of Athens. I had a very loose itinerary and the determination to follow my own muse. I had my backpack, no commitments and freedom. I travelled with Helen, who I met in Athens and who showed me the ropes and tricks of surviving backpacking. Together we took the ferry to Crete and after there for a month I travelled for another 2 months around Greece and the islands and six weeks in Italy travelling from Otranto at the boot of Italy to Venice in the north/top of Italy.
In both these countries I visited the places I had always wanted to experience and viewed artwork that live still so vividly in my memories, to see the art I’d only previously seen as images in books or slides on a wall was magic. It put in context what had only been theory and images before. It was now real and relatable. This had a major impact on me. I was learning directly from the works of the masters. The process of absorbing and living life was intoxicating. The mental and emotional lessons learnt on the road have served me well for my 3 years living in London and on my return to Australia. They have come into their own in my many ventures since my return but the overwhelming urge to fully commit to painting needed to be met. Maybe I took too long absorbing and ‘taking life in’ I love the fact I can now be completely authentic to myself and my painting. I reveal myself on canvas and hope that conversation I have on canvas is reciprocated by the viewer. But there is no obligation.
Ruth le Cheminant
March 2025
