“Describing the little village of Orah in Herzegovina as “paradise on earth” is prosaic and banal compared to what I see before me: the view from the artist residence Kamen stretches across the blue of Lake Bilećko toward a little island with a tiny church dedicated to St. Eliah, and beyond to the Montenegrin shore with clouds floating above. The atmosphere is sometimes mystical and sometimes “just” magical, like the views from postcards – perfection dwelling in the silence disturbed only by the house martins’ chirps.

The lake changes colour every 15 minutes, the ruffled waters become turquoise in a moment, then green with refined nuances of white, while storms make it seem like a deep grey chasm. Or fog swallows it all, except for the emerald of the lake shallows,” describes Koštana Banović, director and founder of the residence program. As director she manages everything on site – from the reception of guests to finances and organising outings, their purpose being to inspire artists and encourage them to create.”