Since I wrote my article on Red roofs as part of the landscape last month, I’ve been looking with different eyes at buildings – and paintings of them. So many artists over the years have taken architecture as their subject, including red roofs (Camille Pissarro) and even blue roofs (Paul Gaugin). So let’s have a…
I love painting rocks and water- it’s almost as good as a walk by the seashore on a day when I can’t get out there myself. Physically I may be in my studio, but mentally I’m on that path around the headland on a sunny day in September! Today, my reference photo is chosen for…
I love the look of the traditional Dalmatian houses – they fit so perfectly into their environment. Which, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense, as the building materials are also likely to have come from the very same landscape! The stone and red clay would at one time have been locally…
Traditional Dalmatian Pašticada is slow-cooked beef in a rich red sauce, usually served with njoki (gnocchi) or home-made pasta. In its original form, this dish can take a couple or three days to prepare, as the beef is first marinated, then roasted slowly. One recipe from Dubrovnik dates from the 15th century, and related dishes can…
Happy 4th Birthday to the GoHvar blog! Four years ago on this very day, I published my first blog article Say what? covering the challenge of pronouncing Hvar for native English speakers. It’s actually quite tricky if that particular combination of sounds is not one that you grew up with, and are not used to…
At the heart of Vrboska is one of the more unusual churches that you’ll ever see – the church fortress of St Mary of Mercy has high walls, battlements and an impressive ravelin defending the front door. Originally financed by the local people, it was extended and fortified in 1575 to be a refuge in…
Announcing our Hvar Artist Retreat for 2015 – 6th to 14th September! After missing last year due to family commitments, we’re back for 2015! Our itinerary will be similar to the very successful event in 2013, though we also have a couple of new locations in mind, depending on interest. We’ll be based, as ever,…
I’ve recently learned a new trick – how to make my own baklava! It’s very popular in Croatia, where the local version generally uses walnuts more than pistachios and almonds. But as I don’t actually have a walnut tree, that made no difference. However I did add another very local ingredient – my own homemade…
Depending on where you live, your experience of a southerly wind may be a warm, gentle breeze, or if you’re from Australia it’ll be something much more stormy! I’ve already mentioned that around the Adriatic, and indeed throughout the Mediterranean, the winds have names. The most powerful of them is the bura – that powerful…
It’s been a couple of years since I started painting the rocks and water of this beautiful coastline – and what an absorbing subject it has been! Considering that I only started it because of a very restricted pallette – mostly cool blues and turquoises and very few of the warm yellow, orange & red…
Go Hvar 
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