There are wonderful abstract compositions everywhere you look. Many times on our walks around the island my eye will be caught by some object which just begs to become an artwork. So I’ll take a photo and sometimes the ideas will show up in my paintings as patterns of colour, or shading. The best images are complete works of art that I enjoy in their own right and I can’t really improve on the original photograph! Here’s one that got me started – a pile of old doors and window shutters in the corner of a field.

Out the door

Another favourite subject, rusty iron bollards – this one in Zavala has an interesting shape, and has rusted all over the dock. The mooring lines and strong blue shadow sets it in place.

All tied up

Nautical themes are easy to find, especially in the winter when the boats are pulled out of the water. I love the rhythm of the lines and the curvy shape of the boats.

Bottoms up!

A rather older boat is this traditional wooden fishing leut that has been slowly disintegrating in the shade of the Vrboska boatyard. Here’s a closeup of the planks showing years of paint just flaking away.

Down to the wood

Away from the sea, I’m going to cheat a little, as these are clearly hand-made works of art made from found objects, and just casually left lying in a doorway in Vrisnik. A little bit of environmental artwork, if you will! The face on the right is rather abstract compared to the other – so possibly two different young artists?

Two-faced

I could do an entire series on old doors and rusty locks, and probably will one day! Here’s an example, again from Vrisnik, that rich source of fading old doors with a variety of old and new locks. Lots of texture in this one – and a surprising dash of blue to set off the rust.

Double lock

More rusty metal and flaking paint on this re-purposed oil-drum lid that has been nailed to a tree as a car park notice, now virtually unreadable.

On notice

Moving away from the man-made objects, I love the natural textures and patterns of the rocks – this time a lovely combination of yellows and reds in this sandstone with a line of quartz pushed through it. This would be sand from an ancient seafloor.

Red rock

And finally, back to the Vrboska waterfront for this joyful combination of stripes!

Stripes

More of these to come, as I find them!