Sketching...Anyone can do this!

  Once and a while when someone is viewing my sketches, they might make the comment that they wish that they could sketch or that they cannot even draw a stick figure. Actually, I believe that anyone who can put a pencil, pen or brush into motion, can sketch. I believe that the real problem is not with the persons sketching or drawing abilities, but rather with what society has dictated to us as to what is good or bad when it comes to artistic creations. Yes, there are certain rules that make since. But these rules have been broken by some that have become very successful, famous artists. A perfect example that always comes to my mind is Picasso. Do you think his drawings look like he followed any “rules?” 

 Think about this; When you were a child and you drew a picture, you drew exactly how you saw the subject, whether it was sitting in front of you or just from your imagination. Maybe you can even remember how good you felt about yourself at that moment? That drawing you did was as pure and real as it gets. Then, as you got a little older, the criticisms started; “Well, It‘s not quite correct, do it this way or that way”. Soon you start feeling that because your drawings don’t look like Leonardo Di Vinci’s, you think that you don’t have those abilities. 

This Sketch came from two different sources.It was later refined into a formal painting.

This Sketch was done very fast during a road trip. Not too detailed and I didn't worry about how "good" it looked. It was for my own information

I did this sketch of this old tree truck the forest. I used my imagination and placed the door where there was an exposed area beneath the bark. This sketch was used as an illustration in short story. 

This sketch was done in watercolor and ink during a hike on an old European cobblestone road. 

 Here is a sketching challenge for you. Get a blank sketchbook and a pencil. Pick a subject in the room. Just relax and without analyzing it, sketch it just how you see it. If you don’t like where you drew a line, then draw over that line but don’t use your eraser. In the beginning, I would advise to not show your sketches to anyone so that there is no interference or manipulation of your true self.   They are for you.  Keep your sketchbook nearby and when you see something that catches your interest, sketch it. Soon you will have a sketchbook filled with your visual interpretations. Chances are, when you review them you will smile and feel good about it. 

 The sketches and drawings I do have multiple value to me. I do it because it’s therapeutic, it’s a record of things and places I’ve seen and some serve as references for future paintings. Some sketches are fast and loose, others are more defined, and it all depends on my resource of time at that moment. 

  So, if you are inspired to sketch, at least do it for yourself. And if you do decide to share your sketches with someone and they start to be a critic, don’t take it personal. I wonder? How would that person respond if you asked if you could see their sketches?

A sketching trip to the river

 It has been a while since I have been able to get out and do some sketching until today. And still, time was limited and most of that time was spent reaching my destination. I headed into the forest and hiked a while until I met up with an old familiar road I have walked before. A very rough, very old forgotten cobblestone road that only feels the occasional feet of a hiker. On the edge of the forest, the road leads down a steep hillside to a historic monastery that rests on the shoreline of the Neris River. My primary interest of sketching was the rivers shoreline where big chunks of ice had beached themselves. Although, I was a little bit late, as they were not as many nor were they as large as they were a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, they were sketch worthy. I came upon a fallen tree that was protruding over the rivers edge. Something about that composition was appealing. I felt it worthy of a more formal sketch but it would have to wait for another time.... At least it won't melt before I return.  

  Although these sketches were done quickly, I was able to capture the essence of the scene. Here is what transpired today in watercolor and pen.

It's amazing how a frame or some matting around a print can really enhance the image. Here is one of my prints from the watercolor painting, "Guarding the Farm", with three different suggested framing options.
 Ideally, it is best that the matting and  frame complements the image. But for some, it is their wish to match their decor in some way too. This is possible if you are willing to compromise a little. If you work with a professional picture framer, he or she can help you choose matting that best compliments the image. Then select a frame that will work with your furniture decor as well as the image.

This print is available through my website:

http://www.jerrymoreau.com/large-multi-view/PRINTS/2500124-1-180707/PRINTS.html

 This one is framed in a traditional manner, complementing the entire piece. A wood frame that complements the piece and a double mat with a wood fillet between the two mats that matches the frame.

 This is done in the same manner as above but instead, a linen liner is used in place of a mat and a larger frame was selected and having a more rustic appeal.

This one is framed with a linen liner with a wood fillet, matching the frame. This frame was selected to accent
the clients furniture and yet still works with the image and has an elegant appeal.

All of these work well with this image. Your local framer may have even better suggestions!

Over the Ridge

Here is a preview of a drawing I have been working on for a future painting. I still have some things to work out before moving on to the painting stage. I haven’t decided if I want to have that lantern lit or not on the front of the canoe. Having a lit lantern can bring up some complicated reflection challenges. Initially, I planned on a foggy scene with the bear “barely” visible and put more emphases on the mountain man. Either way I decide to do it, there will be a big difference in the overall color scheme.
  I’m not sure if you can see it or not but I drew the mountain man and canoe on a separate piece of paper. This way it allows me to move it around to find the best placement for the composition. I haven’t decided to paint it on canvas or hardboard panel.

Art in the Cemetery

Just a couple of blocks from where we live in Vilnius is a very old cemetery. I frequently walk through it because of the abundance of birds and old seasoned trees as well as having the feeling of peacefulness.
  One of the things I have noticed is the many forms of art at the resting places. Some markers are carved from wood. Some are iron works and others are stone or marble. A large percentage of these creations seem to have been influenced by folk art designs.
  Each plot is like a personal garden that is a personal reflection of the deceased person or their families. People spend many hours meticulously maintaining their loved ones area, raking, pruning and some keep the continuous burning of lit candles. I’m sure that this maintenance ritual is not only a form of therapy but a time to really reflect on their loved ones. It is unfortunate that cemeteries in the USA are strictly structured with rules and regulations and don’t have the flexibility for the personal touches as they have in Lithuania.

I usually carry my small sketch book with me and over time I have recorded some of the scenes from my walks through this cemetery.
            

The Mighty Oak Tree

If you have ever seen the classic western movie, “Paint your Wagon”, then you probably remember one of the songs Clint Eastwood sang in the movie entitled, “I talk to the trees”. As the first lyrics go; “I talk to the trees but they don’t listen to me”. Well, that may be the case in reality, but we don’t know. Maybe they do listen in some way? Could you imagine for a moment if they could  hear as well as have vision? Wow, the stories they could tell, the history and the wisdom they could enrich us with!

Today it was rainy, cold and gray. But it didn’t stop me from hiking into the forest to visit some of my favorite trees. I couldn’t help but  think how trees in a small way are similar to people. They all have different physical aspects just like us, as far as vanity goes. And you could say that they all have their own personality…well, maybe personality is not the right word. Having “Character” might be the more appropriate word. One tree in particular that I always stop and marvel at is a very tall, large Oak tree. The circumference of the trunk of this oak is 241 inches. Its bark is thick and with deep crevices that from the perspective of an insect, would be their equivalent of our Grand Canyon. One of this oaks massive limbs that reaches out almost horizontal next to a meadow where it stands, finally gave way to its weight and snapped off during a recent storm. As I looked in aw at that massive limb now lying on the ground, it would seem as if it was an individual tree that once stood on its own.

I’m familiar with a lot of the trees in this forest and I have seen them in their dress of all the four seasons. As silly as this might sound, I get a feeling of comfort when I see them. It’s almost like the feeling of meeting up with a family member or a good friend.

When I was living in the foothills of California, Oak trees are the most dominant trees in that area and many of the oaks I became familiar with were part of paintings I did at that time. Some are still very clear in my memory. I was once commissioned to paint the portrait of a huge oak tree that was growing on the peak of a hill that watched over an avenue in a suburb of Sacramento California. That tree unfortunately was sacrificed for a housing development and is no longer there.

I guess I’m feeling inspired to give tribute to the Oak tree through my paint brush…..we will see.

pen & ink sketch 2014

Back in the swing.

 Well yes, I guess it has been a long time since I posted. After a long illness in the family, I am slowly getting back into the swing of things.
 There are several drawings that are in the works that involve an Oregon Junco and a Black-tailed Jackrabbit. Also brewing in the back of my mind is a colosal sized acrylic painting of a Polar Bear.
 There are still a few paintings I am close to finishing too. The Raccoon in the rafters, the Oyster catcher and Kernavė. It is nice to have several paintings in the works because it gives a refreshing of the mind.