Places Seen Through Color- Europe

I wanted to see what would happen if I brought together Prague and colors inspired by Henri Matisse. So I painted Charles Bridge again.
This time, I wasn’t trying to capture a single moment or a specific day, but rather the essence of Prague — a fairytale city assembled like one large puzzle, which is how it has always felt to me. I wanted to hold onto that compact maze of condensed history, hidden in every house, window, and statue on the bridge. This Prague, seen through Matisse-inspired colors, feels new to me. It is not the “golden Prague” we usually imagine — as if it revealed how many other colors it can still hold. Maybe someone else will see it this way too — or find their own Prague within the painting.

The view of Charles Bridge from this spot was new to me. There were several river steamers moving along the river, and the whole scene felt calm and alive at the same time. It was early evening. The golden hour was approaching, and the towers and houses around the bridge began to softly light up in the last rays of the sun. It is that moment when everything slows down for a while and Prague feels almost still — as if it has paused between day and night. I still carried the warmth of a meeting I had just left. Perhaps that is why the painting feels calmer, softer… more about a feeling than about a precise place. I painted more according to what stayed within me than according to what I saw. Prague is always a little fairytale-like to me — but this time also gently naïve, almost impressionistic.

Znojmo is an unknown fairy tale - at least for me. It is full of history and breathtaking views. I will have to go there again. Below the cathedral there is a cluster of houses and courtyards, which enchanted me so much that two pictures were created from it. This is the second one. One look at the stairs and it was immediately clear that it would be a picture. Perfect composition, the secret of the gardens behind the walls, old stones... A place worth exploring through colors that should transform them a little and, above all, celebrate them. People do not live in cathedrals, but here. My video is about how the picture came into being and also about my only visit to Znojmo so far.

My first painting of Znojmo came out in colors of the Greek island of Skopelos. I used my old photo of it. You can see this view when you look down from the cathedral wall. Streaght ahead on the hill the a brewery and behing it the Znojmo castle - it is hidden. I painted this naivistic and chearful piece first in color blocks without sketching. My goal was not realistic image but rather the spirit f the place - the feeling this south western Moravian historical town gave me. The mix of home and history and as if timed stopped there somewhere in the 1920s - the time of the first republic - as we call it. 

Another painting from Prague and another old story. This one was originally drawn with colored pencil, and I sent it to the USA as a gift in 1989 - I never found out whether it arrived. I created it as an illustration for the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” This version is a fusion with another of my paintings, where eyes appear in the sky instead of a rainbow. But you can still recognize some of the buildings of the New World in Malá Strana in Prague. In fact, I have the original of this watercolor in my private collection.

Žatec is a historic town in western Bohemia, known for its hops. Filmmakers are fond of it, and Barbra Streisand chose it as a suitable exterior location for her film Yentl. I appeared as an extra in this film when I was 18. So, after more than 40 years, I went back there to see it all again. This street lies right in the middle of the filming location. It was incredible to visit it - and even stranger to paint it.

The third and last, but probably my most favorite portrait of Český Krumlov in Chagall-inspired colors. The colors just suited this view of the magical Krumlov millrace. I deliberately chose a view without the dominant castle tower, which would be a classic tourist picture. I and those who were there know that the tower is there. But this view, this composition deserved the same attention and celebration. And because that day was bright and sunny after the drizzly evening at the arrival, everything shone and so the picture called for vibrant colors. The colors of my excitement about discovering this magical place.

The night walk through Český Krumlov was mysterious and full of pleasant surprises. I couldn't see much of the town in daylight, and the lantern-lit streets seemed irresistible. I knew this was the right composition and that I would want to dress it in more colors than just golden light and shadow. Here, too, for my second picture from Krumlov, I chose an unusual palette that I had previously created on my iPad from three colors: magenta, dark blue, and dirty yellow. The view from the narrow street was a challenge. I chose a simple style to highlight the mysterious contrast of light and shadow created by the colors. I think it worked.

Český Krumlov is on the UNESCO list and is truly a national treasure. It is perhaps as popular with tourists as Prague. You could paint anything. This was one of the first views I knew I wanted to work on. And I painted it from the Krumlov trio first. I was there in the fall and painted it in January. I tried an untested fall color palette. In the end, it was not easy to be satisfied with just these colors. But I kept my discipline and a portrait of the town was created, which has the colors of autumn, a mosaic of Krumlov houses (it is in my mosaic style, by the way) and a bit of playful mischief in a naive design.

One evening in Brno we were at an Italian restaurant and therefore spaghetti. I like this restaurant, it's homely and the food is good there. This time, in addition to looking around, I also took some pictures. I rarely paint interiors, but this photo attracted me with its composition and the atmosphere of a double world - a cozy room and the darkness outside. The light in the darkness is a café where we also like to go. So I have it all together, memories, places and colors of an untested palette that were itching to be tried. It is also one of the few pictures drawn with digital crayons.

This fairytale-like street really exists. It lies beneath the ruins of Kozí hrádek, and there are also wine cellars there. It’s typical of southern Moravia. Right next to it is a mysterious Jewish cemetery. The colors of the painting come from a summer bouquet, and the light background is very unusual for me - but it simply fit best there. Mikulov is a place full of surprises.

A visit to Mikulov after 40 years is like a return to childhood. The church courtyard beneath the castle transformed, for me, into a Fauvist fantasy. I was especially taken by the flowers and the composition of light and shadow. I chose a very exuberant palette because that’s how I felt there - completely delighted that Mikulov did not disappoint me.

In 2024, I finally visited Portugal - so far only Lisbon, but it was very inspiring. I knew I would find places there that I’d want to paint. And Alfama was exactly what I expected -and more. When I decided to paint it, I chose a pencil in Procreate. It created an interesting illustrative effect, and I love it.

A walk through Brno would not be complete without Dominikánská Street. I was drawn to its composition — the way it slopes down toward the city centre, the edges of the buildings, and the gentle rhythm of its curves and lines. It was one of the first places through which I began rediscovering Brno after years of living abroad. Suddenly, I saw it as a city full of colour and a new sense of confidence.

The colour palette of this painting is inspired by my grandfather, the painter Josef Konečný, and the palette he used when painting my grandmother’s portrait. Because of that, this work is connected for me not only to this place, but also to the memory of them.

Perhaps someone else may find the same thing in it — a street that quietly, yet deeply, stays with you.

The other side of Dominikánská Street in Brno is just as charming as the one in my first painting. You can see the steps leading up to the New Town Hall—it’s called “new,” even though it’s old. There are cobblestones everywhere, and painting them in different colors is fun. The color palette is inspired by a photo I took in New York. The street isn’t as colorful as it appears in this painting - I wanted it that way. And it turned out as if it were from a fairytale.

This small woodland near my home is called “Akátky” (acacias), and it’s truly full of them. This is my first painting. It’s done with a pastel brush in Procreate and uses more of a summer color palette, even though I painted it in autumn. After the California desert where I used to live, this kind of leafy environment really excited me - it was almost new to me.

Tišnov - a small town near Brno in South Moravia. I lived there for 10 years during my school years. I used to go to this meadow under the Klucanina hill all the time. We played there, climbed trees, picked flowers and plums and skied in the winter. It was about 5 minutes from my home and I always walked past it to and from school. I painted it in 2022 during my visit to the Czech Republic from California, after visiting Tišnov, full of memories and emotions.