"Trail to Arcadia"

solo exhibition at the Geneva Public Library

September 2018

Geneva, Illinois

"Trail to Arcadia" is the title of series of paintings I created inspired by the beautiful mountainous area in the Slovenian Alps, after my last visit there, in 2013.

 Visiting the area in 2013, with my family, pictured here with my husband Žarko

The magnificent Soča River

As a child, I used to spend many spring, summer and winter holidays here, with my parents and my sister, in the small town of Bovec, where my parents owned a small condo.

With my mom, when I was 10, Vršič Pass, Julian Alps, Slovenia

The enchantingly beautiful nature of this area; at that time a hidden gem practically unknown to the tourists, made a lasting impression on me, and I have the most wonderful memories of our nature trips and hikes there.

The term "Arcadia" in art history and literature, throughout the centuries, stands as a symbol for a poetic shaped space, with bountiful natural splendor and harmony, uncorrupted by civilization. 

"Arcadia" is also seen as utopian, and therefore unattainable. And although Slovenia, its mountains and rivers, the little town of Bovec and its gorgeous natural beauty are still there, unchanged, and exist in real space and time, in a way, they are lost to me in the shape and time I was able to enjoy their beauty, freely, as a child, with my sister, and with both of my parents.

So, for me, Trail to Arcadia is about a beautiful memory of happy times, and a hint of nostalgia, too,  for the time that cannot be returned.

My older son, Albert, here 3, by the Soča river

I am happy to be able to share this series at the Geneva Public Library. Geneva, IL is now my hometown, where my older son Albert (8) goes to elementary school, and where my younger son, Karl (3) was born. I hope they remember their childhood as fondly as I remember my own. Times and places might be different, but the sense of love and happiness are always ours to create.

With my boys, Albert and Karl, strolling downtown Geneva