On the southern shore of Crete, "Under the volcanic cloud"

The annual exhibition of KOPRU is now over. Hundreds of visitors have seen a wide variety of paintings, drawings and sculptures by several artists during two August weeks. This landscape was also presented in this event. I will thank Juhani for his efforts to prepare a digital record of it. I am planning to order some postcards of my works where Eira will help me - choosing the right ones will still be to done by me.

The web pages of KOPRU are also under construction; more about this issue in next posts.

There are still summer 2011 days left!

We very often forget to follow the nice details of the nature. I was washing my car (!) when noticed these grasses beneath our parking place. Keep your eyes open...

Pencil, colored pencils, charcoal, felt-tip calligraphy pens...

These are the most common tools of mine when drawing landscapes. This old drawing presents the view from the window of our summer cottage. Reaching westwards, it shows the most impressive cloud formations and sunsets - the colors of this drawing are, by the way, really realistic!

KOPRU Exhibition 2011 in Vaajakoski, Wanha Woimala!

The annual KOPRU exhibition is open until 21.8.2011. Many new pieces of art - with various techniques - are still to be seen on this week. Art gallery Wanha Woimala is easy to reach - just drive to the island Naissaari (some 10 km from the Jyväskylä city eastward). The admission is free, but you may like to by / order something from the artists? You can also win an art calendar by KOPRU for next year by participating in the vote of new calendar images. Welcome!

The summer 2011 has started! Birds are singing during the early morning hours, everything turns green and nights get shorter all the time. It is therefore time to start drawing because the Annual Exhibition of KOPRU will be opened already on the 2nd week of August and something new shall be produced.

A short moment on a busy late autumn day

Late autumn day - first snow has covered the trees on the hills beneath our village. The shape of a lonely birch in front of serious-looking, quiet spruces woke me from my thoughts, however. I stopped my car and took this photo with the simple camera of my mobile phone.

You may not have always time to stop your journey and begin to draw. What you still can do is to pick this kind of emotional views, how simple they may be, and continue with your paints and pencils whenever you have time - still keeping the original emotion of the moment involved in your imagination. This may be the only way during busy winter months but, when the summer begins to knock on your door, you can take all your tools with you again and go to the forests, lakes, rivers...so must it be.

The very busy autumn period 2009 prevented me to draw. I have been cleaning my home this night and found some old views, however. This one presents the Jyväskylä Harbour, on the shore of Lake Päijänne, and was done by me in June 2009, some 50 oC ago (the thermometer outside tells that we have -27 oC just now, at 3 a.m). No chances to go out fro drawing, definitely.