In 2023, one of my watercolors participated in the Castra 2023 watercolor festival in Ajdovščina, Slovenia. The organizers of the exhibition were Lokarjeva galerija, International Watercolor Society (IWS) Slovenia, and Globe Art Network IWS.
Two works were painted on commission. They depict the rural houses of the client’s parents, but only “Mother’s House” was selected for the exhibition.
I was able to attend the opening of the exhibition Castra 2023 and spend two interesting and eventful days in Ajdovščina, a small Slovenian town in the Vipava Valley. The festival organizers prepared a program for the participants. Socializing, plain-air painting in picturesque towns, the opening ceremony, and the award ceremony for the participants.
On the first day, a group of artists went on a plain-air painting trip to the town of Planina, which means “mountain” in Serbian. This region is known as the Slovenian Tuscany because of its landscapes. The resemblance does not end there. Grapes grow exceptionally well in this area. The surrounding hills are covered with vineyards and are famous for their wines.
Ajdovščina is located in the Vipava Valley, which is famous for its unique wines. Some local grape varieties produce a good harvest only here, thanks to the mountains swept by favorable winds. One of these varieties is the white grape Pinela. The well-known Petrič wine making family invited us to a wine tasting at their winery. Several generations of the family have been growing grapes. Unique local varieties such as Pinela and Zelen, as well as other varieties known throughout the world.
On the second day, there was a plain-air session in Ajdovščina itself. It lasted only half a day, so I managed to complete just one watercolor, as several events were planned for the second half of the day. An informal competition of plain-air works created during these days. The official opening of the festival, followed in the evening by a banquet at Lokarjeva galerija itself.
A lovely story happened during the plain-air session. When another artist from Budapest and I had finished painting, the owners of the house came out to meet us and told us its story. It turned out that the house was built in 1750 and was one of the first five houses in Ajdovščina. I would never have guessed that it was that old. Today, the building is under state protection.
While painting, I took step-by-step photographs of the process.
The watercolor appealed to the owners of the house so much that they wanted to buy it. We agreed that I would first enter it in the competition with the works of the other participants and then visit them afterwards. In the end, this work won second prize and a bottle of white wine as a gift, and it will remain in Ajdovščina. I really, really love stories like these, when things find their people and bring them joy.
