20 x 30
Watercolor

Riding the Bike Lane III

This painting came about while traveling in Europe.  We were near the end of a tour of Bosnia and Croatia and had a free day to ourselves.  We hired a driver in Zagreb to take us to Ljubljana, Slovenia, the Capitol city.  My wife and I enjoy new things and Ljubljana is that although it is an older city first mentioned in the first half of the 12th century.

Many tourist were out and about along with residents going about their routines.  We were astonished with the abundance of dragon statues throughout the city.  They were mainly located on bridges that crossed the river running through the heart of the city.  Even though dragons are mythical creatures they have been adopted as protectors of Ljubljana. The dragon represents power, courage, and greatness.

Like us, tourists visiting Ljubljana appeared to be captivated by the dragons. Many stared or photographed or were photographed with the dragon in the picture frame, like us.  It was interesting to see the tourists in awe while the residents appear to have become indifferent to them.  I especially liked the bicyclist riding along indifferently.  The juxtaposition of the photographer and the cyclist with the dragon in between  seemed the right thing to paint as a commoration of our afternoon in Slovenia.
Riding the Bike Lane III
Watercolor
20 x 30