My Mecca

So today was the day I spent all day painting THE BRIDGE.  If you don't know, I'm in Mostar, Bosnia (county #5 for the summer).  This bridge is a reconstruction of the original bridge built in 1566.  That bridge fell into the water when it was bombed during the savage civil war that happened here in 1993-4.  It was built exactly the same, they even got the stone from the same quarry, but it's not the same, is it?  It's all shiny and new, not 400+ years old.  This bridge represents a connection between east (Muslim Mostar) and west (Christian Mostar).  There are again guys jumping off the apex for money, there are again hundreds of tourists daily that hold onto the railings while crossing the slippery, smooth stones. There are again lots of stalls selling exotic wares from Turkey and further east.  

Yet, there are still many many buildings that are riddled with bullet holes, roofs caved in, with signs saying "stay out".  I have walked past dozens of burned out shells of buildings that obviously had someone living in them until they got bombed.  

The first couple of days I was here, I could feel the sadness and anger in the atmosphere.  I didn't really want to go out into it, so I stayed in.  Then I decided, "Well, I'm here, this painting is the whole point of the trip, get out there and do it!"  

So, yesterday, I did a couple of studies, to get the angle right etc.   And today, since I'm leaving tomorrow, I brought a cushion, my paints, and not enough water to the riverside.  I let myself get distracted, I watched the jumpers and and jumpers in training,

 

I walked in the water (very cold), I talked to a couple of other tourists, I looked and looked for the just right angle, then there was nothing else to do but begin.  And before dark, I was finished.  

The angles aren't quite right and I could hear Julian (my teacher in Italy) saying, "I'm not convinced by the rocks yet." I kept fiddling, then I decided, stop! As I was walking to a restaurant, I stopped to admire another artist's work.  He asked me to show him my painting.  I did, although I was embarrassed.  He said, "You have to be proud, you're an artist!  I've painted 1000 pictures of that bridge, you're just beginning."  And I thanked him for reminding me.  

I'm relieved, really to have this finished.  Now, I can just play for the rest of my time here.  I will paint some more, I'm sure, as I've discovered I really enjoy it.  It's quieting and while I'm painting, my mind is peaceful and absorbed. 

While walking from my place to the bridge,  I've enjoyed looking at all the beautiful things for sale, pretty cheap here.  I've almost decided to buy a painted bowl.  I have all this money that I can't spend anywhere else!  

I only hesitate because pottery isn't the easiest to travel with, however, I tend to buy some everywhere I go...maybe a small pitcher.

Talk about east meets west, in one ear, there's this repetitive, strong beat, dance music.  In the other, there's a call to prayer from the mosque.  All this auditory stimulation is giving me a headache! 

So, tomorrow I'm headed to the beach for a few days.  I'll be staying in Brela, Croatia before making my way up the coast then inland to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.  There, on August 2, I'll be picking up my mom, sister, and auntie Alice at the airport for a full week of travel and touring.  

I've just paid for dinner and I have some marks left...good thing I have to walk through the market to get home.  Time to head home and pack...I need to figure out where to pack a piece of pottery!