Merry Christmas 2012 and Good New Year 2013!

I will wish all good to my blog friends for the Christmas time and new year 2013 with this photo, taken at my drawing table and featuring the nice candles, made by  Eira, the deliverer of my post cards!

New technique for Sortavala Church - accidentally!

Two large ink spots covered this drawing last night when I was joining our local art school. "What to do?", I was thinking. Could the problem be covered in some way? My teacher Minna suggested that I can use acrylic white to hide the spots (still seen in the middle of the drawing).

This was the way I found a new technique for my drawings: first pencil, the ink and, at last, acrylics! Goodbye, for awhile, colour pencils!

Island Santorini in October 2012

Island Santorini, Greece, was something very different: day-time temperature was +29oC all the week, in Finland below +10oC...

Travelling to Greece in October makes sense. Weather is still warm, streets not so over-filled by tourists and prices lower than during summer months ("low season" is just beginning, they say).

I had the honour to meet local, professional artist CHRISTOFOROS ASIMIS who has studied at the Fine Art School of Athens University and lived on Santorini since 1974. I really loved the blue shades of his paintings, presenting the views of local capital city FIRA and the famous small city IO, both situated on the top of the mountains. Mr. Asimis has also painted some fresco inside the big cathedral beneath.

My drawing above shows the view from FIRA towards IO on a sunny (like always) morning. I made it very fast because we were only sitting there to have glasses of local white wine. Tool: calligraphy felt-tip pen, 2 mm.

I can really recommend you to visit Santorini, Greece!

Some views into KOPRU 2012 Exhibition.

Here are some more photos from the installation of KOPRU 2012 Exhibition. We filled the ground floor of Wanha Woimala (= the old, characteristic power plant) of Vaajakoski with our pieces of art: paintings, sculptures, drawings and even dolls! My own works did not need too much room - I set them all under a window looking to the river, in the very same way as in previous years. Tintamarresque was prepared by several members of KOPRU together. I "installed" our photographer Juhani into it - matched well! The keeper of the gallery (as well as the neighboring restaurant in Naissaari) promised that we can have our 2013 Exhibition in Wanha Woimala, too. We are very satisfied because this building is an excellent site for us because its location, connections to "Kosken Kohinat" weekend events and - of course - because its architecture itself!

KOPRU Exhibition 2012 has been mounted and opened!

The annual exhibition of art society KOPRU has just been opened in Wanha Woimala, situated in the beutiful river valley of Vaajakoski, Central Finland. This old industrial area belongs today to Jyväskylä city, being independent until middle of 00's. This summer exhibits a lot of new paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographic works which gives it a fresh feeling and a sense of novelty. More photos and written experiences will be published soon! You are, however, very welcome to the exhibition, because a visit to this excellent gallery, built in an old power plant, is a great experience itself!

Final edition of Summassaari postcard

This postcard shows the small but most beautiful Orthodox church, dedicated to Archangel Michael, situated in Summassaari village, Saarijärvi, Central Finland. The process lasted over half an year and began after a short discussion with Father Alexander - he has taken a photo of this tsasouna and sent it onto the website of our local Orthodox parish. I got the right to use it as a model for the work of my own (thank you, Father Alexander!). After some months of "not-so-regular" evening sessions with paper and colour pencils, I carried the finished drawing to my friend Eira who scanned it and printed four versions of it on a beautiful cartonboard, having a slight shade of yellow (thank You, Eira, too!). Discussions with Eira, my wife Sanni and Vicar of our parish, Father Timo (many thanks to all!), led me to the agreement about the superiority of the darkest alternative among the four different brightness levels. It will reproduce the colour of the timber in a right way and also give the best impression of the depth in the landscape. This version is, like I tend to say, "much better than the original"! This modest postcard of the Summassaari tsasouna is now for sale in Christ's Resurrection Church, Jyväskylä. Only the manufacturing costs will be excluded from the price and all the cents earned this way will be directed to the benefit of Anastasis Choir, singing in services. There are other artists in our choir, too (greetings, Erna!) and we have already sold some cards of our own during the Eastern week at our church.

JYVÄSKYLÄ ADULT EDUCATION CENTRE Spring Exhibition

The annual exhibitions of Jyväskylä Adult Education Centre have opened their doors in several sites all around the city. Arts as well as ceramic and textile works, created during winter term 2011-2012, will be seen in "Vanha Pesula" (Old Laundry") building, Lehtisaari island, which is situated in the middle of Lake Päijänne, south of the city center.

A demonstration of colour pencil drawing was also included in the program of the first exhibition day. Several techniques were included: oil and acryl on canvas, pastels, charcoal, ink, colour pencils... The blog writer with his fellow artist in front of her very impressive painting, presenting the change of Winter to Spring!

The exhibition of "Vanha Pesula" is open 21.-22.4.2012 11:00 - 16:00. Welcome to see our works!

Orthodox Church in Summassaari, Saarijärvi, Finland

This small, self-built (!) Orthodox Church is situated in Saarijärvi, Central Finland. I was joining its opening ceremony in summer 2011. All of its constructions were made in an excellent way! It follows the traditional features of Carelian churchs.

I started this work with a pencil and continue with colour pencils. Only light brown (of the timber itself) and light blue has been used for the decoration of this small temple. In opposite, a wide variety of beautiful flowers are surrounding it.

Final version of this work will be published in this blog soon.

"Would you like to know a secret...?"

It is most fascinating to watch ladies, telling secrets to their best friends. These two girls were drawn with calligraphy felt-tip pens, some years ago, in Isola, Slovenia. Colours were added just yesterday. Without knowing any word of Slovenian language, I could understand that they were really telling big secrets to each other.

"Postcarding" continues....

Some new color pictures are under work. "Night shift" with pencils therefore continues.

"Postcarding"

Some models of my postcard drafts. First of them, a drawing of sleeping Aarne (Golden Retriever), is already printed with the aid of my friend. Techniques: color pencils and calligraphy felt-tip pens.

Two drawings of Petäjävesi Church, Central Finland

The old Petäjävesi Church is a cultural target, protected by UNESCO. I like to visit it on warm, sunny summer days because the fine, old buildings and the tranquil churchyard, located on the shore of the lake. Petäjävesi is situated some 30 km westward from the city of Jyväskylä - I'll recommend a visit there if you are travelling in Central Finland!

A tall lady with her dog.

One of last summer's drawings has now got its colors. The dog was added into the picture just today to give some life into the front area. I chose his photo, among several ones, from a Dog Handbook (he isn't therefore Aarne, my GR) and I wish that he "sits" well there, by the lakeside of Jyväskylä Harbor.

Sleeping Aarne, the Golden Retriever

This color-pencil picture represents sleeping Aarne (2,5 years)and the warmth which he radiates into the surroundings. This gesture is, by the way, very typical sleeping position of dogs, called "kieppi" in Finnish.

The Fisher Lady

I have to admit that my wife is a much more experienced fisherman than I myself. She is responsible for the fishing with the net - I only row the boat and take photos (and sit at the net...). This picture tells about a sad situation during mid-summer evening when very few fishes can be found - but, in opposite, late May and early June give us overwhelming big portions of pikes, breams, whitefishes and pike-perches.

This picture was based on a photo. First the main lines with a pencil, then with very thin (1 mm) calligraphy felt-tip pen and - at last - some shades with color pencils.

Orthodox baptism

Naming of the child takes place very early after the birth in Orthodox Church. It can be performed separately or in the Holy sacrament of Baptism. Only one Christian name is preferred and this name refers some holy, sanctified orthodox person - in this case, Holy Miriam.

Photography of color pencil drawings is not an easy task because the difficulty of color reproduction. This photo has ignored all bluish shades which cannot be corrected with the relatively simple tools of PowerPoint program. It is therefore most important to secure the right shades in the final photo. I think that this problem is especially often faced when trying to copy the relatively delicate shades of color pencil works.