"She Who Watches Over Mostar", acrylic on canvas panel, Bishop Maxim, 2025

In this vibrant and dreamlike composition, the city of Mostar unfolds in full splendor—its iconic bridge arches gracefully over the emerald river, framed by old stone houses, blooming trees, and the distant outline of Velesh Mountain. Hovering above it all, a monumental female figure gazes tenderly upon the town, her presence both protective and contemplative—an ethereal personification of memory, spirit, or silent witness. At her side, an ibrik—vessel of water—glimmers like an offering, evoking themes of hospitality, life, and the quenching of deeper thirsts. Bathed in sun and bursting with color, the painting invites us to see Mostar not only as a place but as a story, a song, a soul.