Sustainable Travel With My Art #48, Badić, Torac (Croatia)

Hello dear readers! Happy June! It's time for another Travel With My Art Post and the inspiration is island Hvar. As the title implies- this is a sustainable art post. Living on he most beautiful island on the world certainly inspires one to appreciate nature and strive to protect it. What does sustainable art post even mean? Well, I painted this seascape painting on driftwood. Yes, while I was cleaning the beach in Torac bay, I found this gorgeous driftwood piece. Immediately, I decided to paint on it. So, I picked it up (it was quite heavy) and brought it in front of my parents house. The rest is (as they say) history. Don't worry, you'll be able to read all about it (and the history) in this post, but first let's talk the ecology talk.

This is not the first time I have done something like this. If you recall, I posted a Kamenjara beach painting I painted on a discarded litter not too long ago. That painting was also a spur of a moment thing. I happened to find some litter and decided to paint on it. Being creative has its perks. It can certainly help with being more sustainable. However, even if you are not creative, you can always pick up sustainability and ecological ideas from others. We have no excuse not to strive to be more eco-friendly these days.

I sometimes thing that one of the problems of our modern society is simply- lack of imagination and creativity. There is nothing less creative and imaginative than a materialistic lifestyle. Consumerism might be the main root of all ecological evils. It seems to me that just thinking about the pursuit of materialistic goals at all costs can literally kill someone's soul. If we look a bit back into time, we'll realize that our ancestors lived lives that were eco-friendly. It is not necessarily something that takes a lot of time and resources. Sometimes it can be just returning to a simpler life or using common sense.

Honestly, I think all human made art is sustainable. AI art is not sustainable for obvious reasons, and human art is. AI art is harmful for environment, but it is also intellectual and artistic theft. If you want my honest opinion, AI art is simply immoral. Of course, you can use it if you will, but do not expect artists to be happy about their hard work being stolen (and environment ruined). I'm not going to tell anyone what to do and what not to do, but I can give my opinion. I have already written about this subject a couple of time on my blog, so I won't repeat myself too much.

When it comes to upcycling and recycling, this blog is a testament that I do as I preach. I might add links to prove it later on, for I do have a lot of them and I like to share my eco-friendly ideas. I also like to gather eco-friendly advice, so if you have any, feel free to write in the comments. Anyhow, I have started writing about sustainable art a long time ago. My blog has always included art and crafts projects. Often I would make art or everything objects from used things or used expired products or discarded projects to create art. I also like to have fun with upcycling and recycling clothes. I mean the sustainable theme has followed this blog from its very start. It is something I always come back to on this little place to call my own.

Sustainable fashion files: mustard turtleneck (worn here), green leggings (new), pink Nike sneakers (worn here)

Understandably, as someone who works in the education, eco-friendly projects are sometimes a part of my job. I sometimes literally teach sustainability to kids. Ecology is a topic that spans many subjects and it is becoming more and more present in educational materials as well. So, it has kind of become a part of my job, too. I'm really happy about it and I'm forever grateful that I get to work in the educational sector. However, even when it comes to tourism, I've been able to implement my sustainable ideas and projects.

For example, this Summer while I worked in a mini club for kids, I would often collect driftwood to do creative projects with kids. I really enjoy it and so did the kids. So, I guess that this idea for painting on driftwood did not come out of nowhere. It is something I have tried and liked before. Sometimes limitations can be liberating. People really complain too much. If humankind invested half of the time we spent complaining into something useful, we could accomplish great things.

At the moment, I don't really have access to fine art shops here on the island. The post is not the best, either. So, what do I do? Instead of complaining about it and finding excuses for not doing art, I improvise. Everything I painted while living on the island this year , I painted with cheap one euro paints I bought in a Teddy store in Stari Grad (in a small mall next to the ferry port). Where there is a will, there is a way I always say.

It is definitely harder to paint with cheap paints then with professional ones, but if you have the skill it can be done. There can actually be some benefits to not using the fancy stuff. You can feel less pressure. You can flex your art skills when you're finished. You can say- you see, it is not the medium, it is me! Sometimes it is good when you are challenged a little bit. Life challenges us always. We have to embrace it, there is no way round it.

So, let us examine this particular painting at hand. I prepared a collage to demonstrate the painting process and you have a look at it below. As I said, I first picked up the driftwood and then carried it in front of my parents' summer house on island Hvar. I started applying paint to it directly. I used a branch to mix the paint because I only have one brush with me and it's not a good one. After than, I started laying more and more paint. What did I paint? Well, the view opposite my parents' house. The so called 'Badić', basically the point where the bay ends and the background. The background is the sea, the horizon and the Pelješac island. I have painted this spot so many times so far. You must have seen it on my blog before as well. So, I moved pretty quickly at first. Of course, while the paint was drying, the cats took the opportunity to rest next to the painting. They used it as a shield against the sun.

Stages of starting the driftwood painting
1. Finding suitable driftwood
2. Applying the first layer of paint (for the sky)
3. Applying the second layer of paint (the sky and the sea)
4. Starting to work on painting the mountains and the sea (colour matching)

So, now that you have seen how it started, let's talk about how the work continued. First of all, the wood was dry, so it kept soaking the paint. So, I had to add more and more of paint. I added water too, so it was a bit chaotic at first, with me adding paint and water directly onto this driftwood. While I was doing those first layers, I also tried to get the feel of the colours. The cats were obviously very curious and supportive of my efforts, but I managed to stop the cats from getting into paint somehow.

Once the first stages were over, it was time to continue. I had a brilliant idea of using a ladder to support the driftwood. This made my painting easier. I kept mixing paint and working on the panorama. I painted the stones, the bay, the sea and the olive tree that I saw in front of me. It was a real en plein air painting. I worked on it all day until the sun set! My back was a bit sore afterwards, but I think it was worth it.

Those of you who want to see more are in luck, because I actually recorded the process. You can see it all on YouTube shorts, even the cat helpers. You can see how I mixed the paint, how the panorama looks like and what it is like to work en plein air. I do love to paint in the open. I do not often have the chance because work and all, but when I do, I like to take advantage of it.

I painted this in one day (during the weekend obviously). I believe it was Saturday. It was time consuming and challenging, but I enjoyed painting this. The challenges were multiple. I was limited with time, I did not have any fancy art tools. I worked with what I found, and I improvised a lot. The result was not bad, if I can say so myself. I wish I had a varnish spray to protect the painting. I'm a bit worried the colours will get washed out, especially if the painting is kept outside in the sun. I don't really know what will happen with this seascape painting on drift wood. It was too heavy to carry with me. My parents are thinking about displaying it somewhere outside, but I'd like to take it with me. Where am I supposed to take it and how, I'm still not sure. I'll figure something out. I definitely need to varnish it.

My seascapes usually take a lot of time. I typically spend many hours depicting the light and the reflections of the sea. It is kind of my signature style. The effort to capture the light reflected on the sea surface, the attention to light reflections and the colour changes. I love the sea and I love to paint it. Seaside is my eternal inspiration. Sometimes I might even overwork seascapes. A day of work might seem like a lot to you, but there are paintings I have worked months on until I was satisfied. So, a day spent painting does not seem like that much in comparison. Of course, it is still a lot. However, art demands sacrifice.

My life has been quite eventful and busy lately, but I did my best to make time for my art. I do not want to give up painting, and I'm ready to fight to keep it in my life. Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes I feel like I'm not really making any real progress. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my art skills. Sometimes I realize that none of it really matters. What matters is that I keep making art. You improve with work. As they say, appetite comes with eating. You need to create art first, and worry about other things later. It is not the end of the world if I don't paint for a period of time. When you have the motivation and the will, you often find a way. Art is difficult always, but also wonderful. Art gives meaning to life.

With work taking front stage, my blog is sometimes left a bit behind. There never is an ideal time to do anything. We have to make do with what we have. If you want to do art, better be prepared to do art unprepared, to improvise, to paint when you're tired and so on. Inspiration comes and goes, it is the discipline that keeps you going. It could be said that inspiration is like an uninvited guest, it will come uninvited, but unless you are ready for it (that is already working on a painting) it will pass you by.

Work in progress: driftwood seascape after a couple of paint layers

Not everything we make needs to be perfect. Sometimes I feel it is good I didn't go the traditional way with learning art. I sort of learnt as I went along my art journey. I'm still learning. I'm glad I didn't learn there is only one way of making art, for there are many. It is certainly useful to learn about the traditional painting methods. I'm still learning myself. However, we do not need to gatekeep art making.

Not every painting needs to be made in exactly the same way.

My advice is to try to make art in different ways. Experiment. Play. Alternate between working hard and having fun. Alternate between serious studying and random experimentation. Plan your paintings but also improvise. Do different things. See what works for you. See what doesn't work. Try doing both. Do stuff that are easy for you. Do stuff that are hard for you. Every new painting can be a learning experience.

If you liked this sustainable art idea, I have more eco-friendly art projects for you.

1) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2014/09/painting-with-make-up-slikanje-sa.html

2) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2022/05/how-to-wrap-painting-sustainable-way.html

3) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2017/12/bajadera-fashion-illustration-of-day.html

4) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-diy-statement-faux-leather-necklace.html

5) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/01/how-to-make-3d-fashion-illustration.html

6) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2018/02/how-to-handsew-barbi-dress-my-proposal.html

7) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/04/diy-project-sewing-lace-tablecloth-onto.html

What was the learning experience with this painting? Maybe that I should paint even when I feel tired. Even when I don't have the time- or think that I don't have the time. Even when I have stuff to do. Maybe the lesson is that I don't need to rely on the tools. That I can paint with the cheapest of paints and the most limited of palettes. That it is not about the tools. It is about me. The skill that I developed working on paintings. The skill that I will, if God is willing, develop further.

Maybe also that I should paint what is close to my heart. My childhood summer home certainly ticks that box, does it not? I've always adore the sea. I have written about it numerous times on my blog. I have a special love for the sea magic, and I think it is reflected in my work. This whole series started as a way of travelling with my art. I wanted to show you my art inspired by some places I visited. On this list, there is only one place that I have painted but haven't personally visited, but I have a feeling I will visit it some day.

Another thing I found that I really enjoy is en plein painting. I did it before a couple of times, but I want to do more of it. There really is something magical about starting and finishing a painting outside, seeing how the light changes and trying to work with it.

Speaking of my favourite places to paint, do you want to see my previous visits to Torac bay?

1) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/08/fashion-friday-illustration-and-art.html

2) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2018/05/bay-torac-island-hvar-would-you-like-to.html

3) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2024/04/spending-easter-weekend-on-island-hvar.html

4) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2022/04/travel-with-my-art29-bay-torac-at.html

5) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/07/a-beach-outfit-featuring-white-cherry.html

6) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/07/a-striped-romper-and-caper-flower-bay.html

7) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2015/09/uvala-torac-outfit-post-bay-torac.html

8) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/06/styling-yellow-jumpsuit-for-summer-bay.html

9) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/07/a-seaside-painting-inspired-by-bay.html

10) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2025/05/spring-in-bay-torac-island-hvar-3.html

11) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2015/09/heaven-on-earth-island-hvar-bays-torac.html

12) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/04/fashion-illustration-friday-ballpoint.html

13) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2015/04/casual-lezerno.html

14) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/06/what-is-ideal-maxi-dress-for-summer.html

15) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/05/reading-update-lexical-funk-by-daniel.html

16) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2014/09/shoes-are-boring-wear-sneakers-outfit.html

17) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/06/reading-update-and-girly-vintage-summer.html

18) https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/07/summer-reading-and-rereading-update-p.html

I have to admit, I'm a bit emotional seeing that it is my forty-eight post in travel art category. That means I'm close to fifty paintings inspired by different places. That's a lot of art. You know what to do if you want to see more of my art depicting certain places and locations, right? Follow the links below if you want to travel with my art.

#1 PALERMO ISLAND SICILY (ITALY) #2 BAY MALA STINIVA (CROATIA)

#3 IRKUTSK, SIBERIA (RUSSIA) #4 MATEJUŠKA, SPLIT CITY (CROATIA)

#5 HVAR CITY, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #6 ZENTA MARINE, SPLIT CITY

#7 ZAVALA #8 SUCURAJ #9 MALA STINIVA #10 HVAR TOWN #11 JELSA TOWN, DANCE OF THE SAILS #12 ZAVALA, ISLAND HVAR #13: SUCURAJ LIGHTING HOUSE, ISLAND HVAR

#14: BAY BRIZENICA, ISLAND HVAR #15 BAY LOZNA, ISLAND HVAR

#16 BAY VEPRINOVA, ISLAND HVAR #17 BOL, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA) #18 PLANINICA, (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA)

#19 SUCURAJ, BOATS AT PORT, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)

#20 BEACH SOLINE,VRBOSKA, ISLAND HVAR (CROATIA)