RVing artists, part 3 — watercolorist Mari Anne Figgins of Spokane, Wash.

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This is the third of four installments on “RVing Artists.”

In the Pacific Northwest, veteran painter Mari Anne Figgins is about to set out on her first cross-country RV trip carrying her “brand new Medicare card.”

Realistic watercolorist Figgins of Spokane, Wash., will be driving to Michigan this summer to visit family, participate in a fine arts fair and “take time to do small paintings in a journal.”

Figgins, a lifelong tent camper, was looking for a recreation vehicle she could easily tow with her Suburban. “Small, yet tall enough to stand up in, with a table where I can do my artwork, and windows to look out of so I can paint inside if it is raining,” said Figgins.

She wanted everything “that a tent does not have–electricity, water, bed, bathroom and door,” she laughed. “No more getting dressed lying on the ground or sleeping in a tent that might roll around in a windstorm. I needed an RV that I could handle by myself and be self-contained.”

Figgins selected a 2012 18-foot R-Pod RP-171 Ultra Lite travel trailer by Forest River. It is small enough for her to tow, yet has ample floor space for her four-year-old rescue dog, Simon Baker, an English Springer Spaniel and Border Collie mix.

“Hotels are fine to a point,” added the longtime professional artist, “but I want to take my own home with me, sleep in the same bed, cook my own meals, and have a quiet place to relax after spending 8-10 hours a day talking with people at an art show.”

Next we’ll hear from crafter Karen Pugh of Ohio, about how she, and her husband, Mike, spend much of their traveling time heading to arts and crafts festivals. If you missed Part 1 featuring Terry and Ruth Hager, click here. If you missed Part 2 with animal and nature artist Skye Sutherland, click here.

Photo: Watercolorist Mari Anne Figgins and her rescue pooch Simon Baker in front of ‘their’ 18-foot ultra lite travel trailer. (Julianne Crane)

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