Treasure (from the Greek word θησαυρός - thēsauros, meaning "treasure store", romanized as thesaurus) is a concentration of riches - often those that originate from ancient history - that is considered lost and/or forgotten about until rediscovered. For us, it's no secret that we consider art to be one of the greatest treasures of all. And like a real treasure hunt, the best part of the story is how you find and collect your treasure!

The common thread in our art collection is travel. Of course not all of our pieces are purchased while being away from home - but inspiration does seem to strike while under the sun soaked coastal towns of the Adriatic sea. And our favorite little town on the Adriatic coast can be found in Croatia. Rovinj, also referred to as Rovingo (in Italian - this town is bilingual!) is a charming town with plenty of cobblestones streets and beautiful beaches and store fronts around every corner.

On one of our very first trips to Rovinj we explored the narrow streets day in and day out until we found one of the most talented local artist. She is the artist behind the horse painting we have chosen to feature in this blog - and behind many others (you have yet to see!) that line the walls of our family home. Besides having a degree in Fine Art and being a well known artist within Croatia, our fascination with her art began far before we began digging through her canvases.

This is something that happens often - before you fall in love with a piece of art, you fall in love with the story behind the painting or you gain a deep sense of appreciation for the artist behind the work. In return, it makes the piece you admire much more meaningful. This concept falls into one of the most common pieces of advice we give our clients - use your next vacation destination to really get to know the culture, the art, and overall, the heartbeat of where it is that you find yourself. It is one of the best ways to build your art collection and one of the most interesting ways to share stories behind the pieces that fill your walls.

It helps that this truly is one of our favorite pass times when we are on vacation - whether it be in Croatia, Cuba or England you can find us in a gallery, antique store or artist atelier searching for our next treasure! So next time you're laying on those sandy beaches, take the long way back to your hotel and get distracted by the beauty that is art.