I think of dots and end up being driven to lines and textures. The combination that surrounds me, combination of Nature and the humanity that shapes Nature is so present. The concentration of houses in the labyrinthine streets, the gardens, the old trees, the pond, and the river. I feel I am embraced by nature. Probably, this feeling is due to my solitude that dissolves the body tensions and slowly releases the mind.
There is always a reminder that Czech Republic has survived more than a few invasions, wars, and most recently the Vltava flood of 2000. Some buildings still display the mark of how deep they had been submerged in water.
Today, I went to visit the Museum Fotoatelier Seidel. Since 1884, that beautiful house has served as photography studio and later also as the residence for the family. The place has been restored. I was mostly impressed to see the darkrooms, the enlarger and development equipment. In the attic, they have found around 140 thousand negatives. These negatives were only preserved because the surviving Seidel son kept their existence as a secret, since he was forbidden to work privately and had to work for the government from 1953 on. I have to do some research on that to understand what had happened a bit better.
My cat friend comes to visit me every evening. I call him ‘gorducho.’ It means ‘chubby’ in Portuguese, in a sweet way.
I have been working on adding new layers to my two paintings. By now, I believe they are finished but I have to wait a few days, look carefully at the paintings again and then decide if they are asking for more. When I know that adding more elements to a painting would transform it to the extent it would become a different piece, either I leave it alone, or I embrace the metamorphosis, after which very few traces of the previous work will be left.
It is raining. In my studio here, I paint as nature dictates. The studio that has the highest ceiling in the world, like the Krumlov Revolving Theatre. By the way, it was amazing to watch Mozart’s Don Giovanni while it was raining. The show must go on…
