“Zvezdne sanje (Stellar Dreams)” is the third picture book I have created in collaboration with the author Petra Šuštar. This book too is a fairytale meditation and also a lullaby. It differs from the first two picture books in its format, its colours and in the emotions it portrays and awakens.
There are not many characters in “Zvezdne sanje”; the reader becomes the protagonist. The main character drifts between the stars and the moon, floating peacefully, half asleep yet faced with many emotions. Along the fluffy clouds a child can safely wander whenever they meet unpleasant feelings that stubbornly stay. In time the protagonist realises that every emotion is completely fine and important – whether pleasant or difficult. With that understanding they fall calmly asleep.
The prevailing style of this picture book is minimalist and therefore gently calming. Considering all of this I chose a deliberately limited palette: predominantly blue combined with more neutral and yellowish tones. Blue, with its layers, immediately draws us into its depths where, as readers, we can search for and even find our own dreams. White is just as majestic and expressive as blue. It does not show emptiness – rather the absence of blue. A space in which we, the readers, look for something to hold on to.
From a creative perspective this picture book was my favourite because it describes me completely. Blue is my colour – infinite in its depths and layers. The empty space is my mind when it becomes quiet. Empty space shapes order.
