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.

Terns on the Neris

 

 
During the time of around early spring of 2011, I painted a small “portrait” of the Neris River and the Terns that are frequent residents. I still have a plan to paint a portrait of the river during the seasons of summer, autumn and winter.
  I always enjoy the views along the Neris River. With every step along her shores, there something different to see. And the subject matter for sketching seems endless. A couple of days ago I spent some time along the Neris and noticed there is still an abundance of small wildflowers around that are still in bloom. So as my wife read a book and our daughter napped under the shade of a tree on the river bank. I took the time to sketch a few of wild flowers and some of the intimate views around.

These are some loosely painted watercolor sketches of some of the wild flowers found along the Neris River.

  Usually when I’m out on a hike looking for interesting subjects to sketch, I will rarely stay on the trail. It has always proven to me that off trail is where I find the most beautiful and inspiring things to sketch. A couple of days ago while out on another hike in the forest, off the trail of course, I came to this amazing old tree on a hillside that has a beautiful root system partially exposed and covered with lush moss. I couldn’t resist sketching this. I knew right away that it will definitely be a prominent subject for a future wildlife painting. With the tree on the hillside and its roots following the grade of the forest floor, it will make a nice composition.




Watercolor and ink on paper



 

A Balancing Act? How is it done?

How is it done? Is it a balancing act? A magic formula? Having a home studio and a family with an infant can be very, very complicated when you try to get any work done.. As an example; you can just get the brushes wet then all of a sudden it happens; an unavoidable call for duty that can be any of the common house hold tasks that can’t wait for a later moment. So you switch gears and jump to it and get it accomplished. Now that you took care of that, you go back and try to get into that creative composure again and then you realize you forgot to clean out the brushes so now the brushes are ruined and the paint has dried on the palette. Sigh…..Keep working home studio hours like you would at an office? It doesn’t work in my case. So, how about some suggestions from other artists out there with home studios? If you have found that balance of creative work time and family duties, maybe you can share that with us?