My parents come from an island off the coast of Croatia called Brac. I go back there as often as possible these days. The family visited a few times when my brother and I were children, but we didn't spend nearly enough summers there. When we were teenagers, we had to visit during winter which was incredibly depressing. Ah, when I think about the mischief I could have got up to had I spent the summer there as a thirteen year old...Above: Pucisca, July 2007. A hand painted wooden chef points to a restaurant just down the road. There are no street names or signs in the town. (Population approximately 2,200.)
Above: I believe that Adria is/was a brand of clothes washing powder. Apron owned by my paternal grandmother, possibly from the 1970's. Direct inspiration: the buildings might as well be from a town on their island.
Above: folky detail from another teatowel brought back by my mother from Yugoslavia, possibly 1980's.
Above: Another teatowel, also possibly 1980's. Nedjelja means Sunday, but not much luck it seems.
Above: another of my grandmother's teatowels, probably 1970's and quite likely made from a bag of clothes washing powder which was intended for that double purpose.
Above: Pipi fizzy orange drink. She was very special to my brother and me when we were children. I think that she is still special to my brother now. 
Above: the queen of all homeland product logos: the Gavrilovic smallgoods girl. This very piece of gold printed cardboard (badly reproduced here) was wrapped around a large cajna kobasica: translated directly meaning "tea sausage". That's tea as in beverage, not the British sense of tea, as in dinner.
Above: Podravka chicken noodle soup. Just as easy to find in Clayton as it is in Zagreb.
Above: the king of homeland product logos: the Vegeta man. Vegeta is a type of vegetable seasoning/ stock, and no home in the former Yugoslavia was ever without it.
Above: Ledo, who is probably every child's favourite product logo: his cheer is for ice cream. His name is a nice combination of the word for ice: led, and the word for bear: medo. 
7 comments:
Wow - what a beautiful blog!
Your art works are wonderful - and it's fascinating to read about how each was made, and what inspired you. The illustrations in the style of textiles and embroidery grab me particularly.
And I'm in awe of your quilting productivity!
xxN
Anche in Ungheria c'e' il Vegeta.
anche in Australia c'e'...!
Sandra estoy leyendo el blog desde el principio... veo este post y vaya casualidad!!! tengo un amigo, chileno, que también es descendiente de croatas de la Isla de Brac, incluso a su empresa le puso ese nombre en honor a los ancestros!
Alice that is fantastic!! I have relatives in Santiago...my father has two lovely cousins . I haven't met them but my parents certainly have!
:)
Sandra, mi amigo se llama Darko Miserda ( creo que el apellido tuvo un cambio del original) sus abuelos llegaron de la Isla de Brac y se instalaron en otra isla, Chiloé, al sur de Chile. Los Croatas en Chile han estado ligados a la historia y economía en diversas áreas. En lo cultural un croata, Pascual Baburizza que logró una gran fortuna, formó y legó un Museo de Arte que es uno de los más valiosos del país, está en Valparaíso y yo tuve la fortuna de participar de la restauración de las 350 pinturas que lo componen. Un abrazo!
Wow! Thank you Alice, that is all fascinating. What a shame that the surname has changed. Learning about the museum makes me want to visit Chile even more now. I wonder if Darko has been to Croatia? My father's cousin and his wife visited for the first time recently. Thanks Alice and all the best!
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