Taking the Show on the Road & Copyright Issues

It has been a struggle to get into my artspace and produce anything. I have been sent on farming errands, and distracted by many ridiculous and meaningless things. While away from my artspace, I have been recording ideas and methods I wish to use. Today, I am going to take supplies with me wherever I go. If I end up in a tractor cab, I am going to draw in the tractor cab. 'If the mountain won't come to Mohammed....' While I have taken my art supplies on scheduled holidays with me, I haven't carted them around on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps this is something others already know and do. I realize I am now late to a lot of artistic parties, which burns a hole in my usually punctual heart. 

I have found an article on the internet, 8 Exercises That Every Artist Should Practice.  I love the simplicity of the ideas, some of which have been touched on by my USCAD instructors, and the simple examples shown. It is inspiring to see practice boiled down like this!

On another note, I was at a showing of our local art club, at a local gallery that sits within our local library. The show consisted of reproductions of recognizable pieces done by famous Masters. It was time well spent. We have many local talented artists. Each piece was displayed beside a photo of the original notable piece. While I enjoyed the work tremendously, and found it interesting to compare the fresh with the famous, I have always wondered about the ethical practice of doing these types of pieces. While you learn a tremendous amount when using famous work as a reference, is that not effectively copying the work? I admit to doing this on my own, but I have been reluctant to actually show those pieces out in the big world. I will have to do some research on this topic, and perhaps, be open to a change of opinion.