Watercolour (Ships in a port) / Akvarel (Brodovi u luci)

I always loved ports. The infinite sea that seems to be calling out to us. To a traveller (or anyone suffering from wanderlust) every ship looks like Noah’s ark. A vessel to our dreams.  If you love sea travel, you probably also love ports. No wonder that Joseph Conrad was a love at a first read for me.  He always wrote so beautifully about the sea. I came back from Split today but while I was there I haven’t even had the time to go for a stroll. I miss those long walks by the sea. I did manage to buy presents for Saint Lucia (known in English also as saint Lucy). I will write about the custom related to this day some other time because tonight I’m too tired.

I’m not sure about the name of the painting that inspired this watercolour of mine. It is just something we did at art class. Painting reproductions is good practice, I would say. I think I have learned a few things so far. Speaking of this painting, one of the art teacher there showed me how to make the colours in the distance less intense. She literally washed this painting in the sink and removed (with water) a few layers of paint in the background. This made the colour in the distance appear paler and less intense, which in turns adds dept to the painting. How do you like it? My husband wanted to frame it, but I don't like an idea of framing a reproduction. I have enough painting framed at it is- it is more walls that I need. This will be resolved quickly, if as planned this Spring we move into our new home.

Uvijek sam voljela luke. Beskrajno more koje kao da nas doziva.  Putniku (ili svakome tko čezne za putovanjem) svaki brod izgleda kao Noina arka. Sredstvo prijevoza za naše snove. Volite li putovanja morem, vjerovatno volite i luke. Nije čudno što je za mene Joseph Conrad bio ljubav na prvo čitanje. Uvijek je tako prekrasno pisao o moru. Danas sam se vratila iz Splita, ali dok sam bila tamo, nisam imala vremena ni prošetati. Nedostaju mi te duge šetnje uz more. No, uspjela sam kupiti poklone za svetu Luciju (u Dalmaciji često zvanu sveta Luce). Drugi put ću pisat o običajima vezanima uz današnji dan jer sam večeras preumorna. 

Nisam sigurna kako se zove slika koja je nadahnula ovaj akvarel. To je nešto što smo slikali na tečaju. Slikanje reprodukcija je dobra vježba, rekla bi. Mislim da sam naučila par stvari. Što se time ove slike, slikarica (jedna od slikara koji drže tečaj) mi je pokazala kako napraviti da boje u udaljenosti izgledaju manje intenzivno. Doslovno je oprala ovu sliku u umivaoniku i odstranila (s vodom) par slojeva boja u pozadini. Tako da se boje u udaljenosti čine blijeđima i manje intenzivnima, što daje dubinu samoj slici. Kako vam se sviđa? Moj ju je muž htio uokviriti, ali meni se ne sviđa ideja uokviravanja reproduckcije. Imam dovoljno uokvirenih slika već- mislim da je ono što mi nedostaje više zidova. Taj problem će brzo nestati, ako na proljeće po planu uselimo u novu kuću.