President Stjepan Mesić

"President Mesić is a very modest and charming person. On seeing the finished portrait he said,"

“I was very pleased when I first saw it and now I am absolutely positively delighted.”

The first three sittings took place at the Presidential Palace in Zagreb and the fourth and final sitting at the Presidential Retreat on the island of Brijuni. Whilst applying the finishing touches to the portrait in a large room overlooking the gardens at Brijuni, the weather conditions there were extreme; the rain was almost horizontal and battered against the windows. It was an excellent excuse to discuss various topics and laugh. Bearing in mind that the President does not speak English and I do not speak Croatian, or come to that Russian, we fortunately had an excellent interpreter. After three days I saw that humour and congeniality made up a large portion of his personality. It was a privilege to see this relaxed side of the President and I truly enjoyed the time we spent together.