Ballet and classical music have always enthralled me — motifs I endlessly love to paint. While working I almost always listen to classical pieces; they carry you off. You never tire of them: such layered complexity that the same work can play for months and still raise goosebumps and spark fresh inspiration.
Earlier I illustrated Tanja Pečenko’s book “Male baletke in njihove cvetke” (Little Ballerinas and Their Blossoms) — motifs that were pure joy. Through Tanja I met Ana Trojar, an acclaimed ballerina and remarkable woman. She graduated from the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London and is a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. She has danced in numerous productions and devoted herself pedagogically to educating young ballerinas. In 2021 she opened her own Ana Ballet School in Kamnik, welcoming the very young, older learners and mature lovers of ballet alike. More on her website: https://baletnasola-ana.si/.
Ana came by for coffee. The moment she entered she had a special presence — a little wow effect — something distinct. Instantly fascinating. She shared her story and vision for the school; I loved how refined her eye was for each detail. That same care shaped her idea for an end‑of‑year certificate for her students: it had to feel special, not generic. So we created it — essentially a whole narrative across the page: what the school is, what it may become, whom it welcomes. Responses were so warm. I find her notion inspiring: that a certificate needn’t be a plain sheet with a name, but can become a meaningful, beautiful keepsake when thoughtfully designed.
