Master is suddenly gone.

This is the hardest post I have ever done and I have been pushing it off, but I have to do it to point out his genius in art.

Mauri Laukkanen was a greatest friend anyone could have and a perfect gentleman with a lot of great jokes.

Everything I learned was from him.

He was a true master of all mediums, whether it was oils, watercolors, charcoal, pen or pastel.

This is a great loss and in a lack of words, 

please just let me share some pictures and his works with you.

Mauri and Arto Isotalo painting:

Mauri and Ninni Heldt:

Mauri painting in Christmas eve, 2005

Me and master Mauri, we had a great day. 

We shared a lot of laughs and shared the awesome Finnish nature this day.

He was doing this really simple and beautiful portrait in pastels of tree roots in this wonderful summer day.

Like in this case he pointed out the "anatomy of water", which I finally captured "good" (GUT! pronounced in German way) after years of training with him.

Farewell my friend.

You´ll me missed until we meet again.

Hyvästi ystäväni. Periksi ei anneta.

Please go see master Mauri´s works in:

http://pastelleja.blogspot.fi/

Latest work´s

"Good guys"

140x100 cm, 55x39 inches

Oil on canvas 

"Kilmore Quay boats"

Oil on panel

SOLD

"Slade, Ireland" (Private Ryan´s beach)

Oil on birch panel

33x28 cm

"Old farm house"

Oil on panel

This painting was my from my second workshop in the Hook Head, Ireland.

"Rainy morning"

Oil on birch panel

33x28 cm

"Lemminkäisen temppeli"

Oil on birch panel

33x28 cm
SOLD

"Keilaranta" 

27 x 40 cm

Oil on birch panel 

"Lahankoski"

Oil on wood

33x28 cm 

Small still life, oil on panel. 

Wexford workshop´s - coming soon

"Ruins at Havukoski"

32x35 cm

oil on birch panel

I´ll be having two workshop´s at Wexford - Art In The Open festival 

There will be painting demonstrations, we´ll go thru step-by-step different kinds of methods of how to start plein air painting. 

I am really looking forward to get out there and paint the awesome landscapes that Ireland offers!

So please register now and book your flights!

Stage 1: Line and mass block-in

Stage 2: Adding color and building final values (brightness&contrast)

Stage 3: Finalizing

Recent paintings

End of the winter

26th of December

8th of March

Here is the whole painting process packed in a few pictures.
I painted roughly about an hour before the light totally went away.

I was using this light grey, birch wood panel for this painting.

At first I wanted to establish the basic value range (brightness and darkness) of the landscape.

I chose to use transparent oxide red and yellow ochre to keep the under painting in a warm temperature.

As you can see from this closeup everything is rather sketchy, but measures are relatively correct and the basic design is established from the beginning, like the placement of the trees and the horizon.

After the drawing was established I wanted to verify the temperature harmony by painting the blues in the background.
At this stage it was time to also to go to the darkest possible values, which are mixture of ultramarine blue and transparent oxide red.

Ta-daa!
Time to stop, I could not feel my hands anymore. I try to remember to wear gloves next time  :)
It was super fun to paint even on a grey day like this.

Melting snow paintings

"Icy road"

28 x 36 cm

Oil on birch

"Icy hill"

28 x 36 cm

Oil on birch

Postcards from Rome

Here is a couple of paintings nearby Palatine Hill. 

Rome is just simply awesome! There was way too much to see and do for a couple of days that we spend there.

I highly recommend everyone to visit there.   :D

Couple of winter landscapes

 Paintings are currently unnamed

It was pretty cold in the cabins studio (no heating), when i finalized these two winter scenes. 

I just had to escape indoors and paint some apples