Back-Home Diary

A peek inside my Novi Sad sketchbook

Me - sketching on the ranch

I try to go - what I call back home - to Novi Sad at least a couple of times a year. In January, it will mark a full 15 years of me living in Paris, and I don’t think I would have stayed here if back home weren’t just over two hours away by plane. Anything more than that feels like too much for me.

Although Paris happened to me, it turned out to be an ideal choice: when my family needs me, I can hop on a plane and be home within 24 hours (and without robbing a bank). Things can be sent to me via friends - people are always passing through Paris, and I rely on a certain type of Serbian bouillon that I sometimes forget to bring back, so others bring it for me, laughing. And being in Europe simplifies everything when it comes to bureaucracy. I am a practical person.

The way I spend time in Novi Sad has changed over the years as the city, the people, and our age group have changed too. I’m sharing my sketchbook spreads here - a kind of diary of my visit - unvarnished, with a few comments and explanations.

You can also see a quick flip-through of this notebook here on the link.

My mum has a collection of orchids that live on the windowsill in their living room. They are always spectacular to look at.

I love drawing spikes, so sketching this table - with all its angles and materials -was a pleasure. I also enjoyed drawing the baby ficus plant with its white and green leaves.