Regardless of whether she has been engaged in painting, sculpture, photography, writing, or crocheting, Jadranka Mlinar’s artistic talent simply shines through. After working in various educational institutions, participating in numerous art colonies, and exhibiting in several group shows and even 20 solo exhibitions, this freelance artist, who graduated in painting, sculpture, and graphics from the Academy of Fine Arts and art history from the Faculty of Humanities, has returned to the crochet needle and thread. However, she would like to elevate her activity with the help of a good team.
Foto: Milan Bobić
– The breadth of various artistic fields has always been present in me. It is not something that happened at the Academy of Fine Arts. This gift is inherited from ancestors, and one engages with it throughout life, said the versatile artist Mlinar, who introduced silk threads into her creative painting process with the birth of her son. From her fascination with this natural material, which becomes whiter and brighter over time, arose a return to the activity she enjoyed in her early youth – crocheting.
Today, her crochet opus, which can be seen on the Facebook page Penelopa crochet and on the ETSY profile Crocheitaire, includes prototypes of many practical items such as mobile phone cases, glasses and keys holders, children’s shoes, as well as decorative items like hair ribbons and flowers, earrings, dress borders, tablecloths, and collars. Inspired by nature and Croatian cultural heritage, especially Glagolitic script and ethnographic details, Mlinar has an original Croatian product that could easily be marketed. The interest in such products in our market is evidenced by an offer for collaboration with a museum souvenir shop. However, for her handmade creations to be included in the offer, it is necessary to unite more valuable hands.
– Everything I have done so far are prototypes, and it would be a shame for it all to remain just that. If I gather enough interested women or men, I am ready to establish a small craft for art and design “Souvenir Shop Penelopa” that would deal with the production of interesting practical products using various techniques – sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, modeling, painting, and drawing, said the industrious Jadranka, inviting everyone skilled in this area, as well as those who would like to become skilled, to join her.
