Something extraordinary from last winter's art course...

The possibility to see real, geometric 4D objects (not those of time-space four-dimensional ones) have interested me already for some years. I know that it is impossible and we could only see 3D shadows of them - but this is something I found in scientific references. 

Everything in this painting has a meaning - and I leave its interpretation to those who have time to think of them.

Some night-time activities with PICASA....

All awake at 01:25 AM on Saturday morning. What to do? Play with PICASA, of course!

First the original - a pencil scetch of Pohjoisranta, Helsinki, Finland, 6th May 2004. 

Then the first modification: some shades of old drawings...

 

Second...blue sky...

Third: some more tones...

PICASA is very practical tool, indeed.

Poetry with pictures...

Combinations of poets (especially short ones like haikus) and pictures (photos, drawings and paintings) are very fascinating when trying to submit one's ideas...

Because the wide variation of photos in my collection, I can choose the right one to support my written expression which usually comes into my head in the morning, during the wake up procedure. They are formed in my brain on the last stages of the sleep and I must write them on paper before they vanish...

A rough translation of the haiku:

"Dreams, like fishes from the waters of the past, arise for us."

Constructing "Grandfather's NASH"

In the beginning there was a photo....

...originally B/W one, from the year 1954, where I added some colours with pencils. This car, American NASH, was owned by my grandfather (r.) and driven by him from Rautu, which was left to Soviet Union after World War II. - Two other persons are my father and me.

I printed the original photo on a A4 office paper with soft surface for adding some colours on it. Next step: a drawing of the view on a canvas (just an commercial ready-to-use one) with a pencil:

Some colours to check how they attach on the canvas.... (I like both drawing and painting of chimneys!).

The final steps usually take a lot of time. The night hours are really needed!

I finally make a decision: "This is all I can do". I could continue as long as I want but there will be a point of resignation: "Now I will finish my work". - I can still refine it later if needed, but at this very moment I feel that my work is done.

Happenings in the life of a young crow, Part 1.

Please let me introduce you the young crow! He is going to school, as you can see.

He prefers to spend his summer holiday by travelling (here on the top of Koli, Northern Carelia, Finland)...

....and wonder the Finnish nature!

But then came the gray, rainy autumn. Here is he heading to the school. 

He must be brave enough to fly over the big lake - the school is on the opposite shore...

- More about the life of the young crow later...

Techniques: ink (with an old-style pen, loaded from a ink bottle), colour pencils and MS Office Power Point. Photos were taken in Central Finland.

Construction of the painting "We are living in an exciting period of time"

First there was just an idea...

We visited Leningrad (called so in those days) and the beach of Terijoki in the beginning of nineties. My son was just some years old but when he noticed the Gulf of Finland, he started to prepare himself for swimming! We had a Labrador Retriever "Miska" and I added her beneath my son (no matter she wasn't with us).

There was also a memory of ash clouds, distributed by a volcano of Island which prevented us to return from Crete - giving us some more holiday days...

After a delay of half an year were the next steps taken (three photos below): inclusions of a small village and a jet plane. Toothpicks and a comb were needed for the smallest details... Limited green areas were also added to give some life on the rocks. 

The painting was finished and set in frames (bought from a flea market!) just a day before the installation of the annual KOPRU 2017 Exhibition in Wanha Woimala (an old power plant) in Vaajakoski. Welcome to see the exhibition! 

Two Temples - two different milleniums!

Two countries, two completely different eras and two techniques: 

LEFT is an acrylic painting from Karpathos Island, Greece. 

RIGHT you can see an oil painting of a small orthodox temple, "tsasouna", from Suolahti, Central Finland, built following the guidelines of traditional Carelian orthodox temples.