Sketches

More coming soon!

My father rarely took a day off from sketching/painting. He kept organized-detailed notes for all of his designs. Some projects took only weeks to complete, others years to decades. At home, he was happiest with family around and working while listening to music in the background. 

He was reflective when we went down to the Lower East Side, traveled to relatives and friends, visited zoos, and attended ball games, nature parks, fishing, and marinas. He saw things most of us do not pay attention to. The wrinkles on a face, the graying of a beard, a grandparent with a child, the multiple hues of colors in the sky, the intensity of a scholar studying, the nostalgia of an older person in front of a building from years back, historical sites all took on meaning to him. He effortlessly switched from speaking English to other languages, remained humble, and never complained about his failing health. 

After a series of heart issues and strokes in the 80s and 90s, issues with paralysis, and the slight stutter he was left with, he taught himself to smile evenly, slow down his speech, and regain strength in his right hand to draw and paint. When his right hand would not cooperate, he used arm and hand braces, switched to his left hand, and even placed a paintbrush between his teeth for control.

He enjoyed speaking to other artists, not criticizing or judging, but trying to see what they saw." Artists see and feel differently." He admired athletes, musicians, dancers, singers, surgeons, fishermen, scholars, authors, and people with talents/interests devoted to working at what they love. He was somewhat shy, amazingly patient, and enjoyed meeting people. As an artist, he never stopped studying, learning, and developing his talent but kept true to creating pictures about which he was passionate. As a teenager living in Israel, he was deeply rooted in its culture and history. His calling was to keep Jewish history/traditions alive, to incorporate scenes of places that have changed over the centuries- and to preserve them for the future. He deeply loved the Lower East Side in NYC and all his friends he visited as frequently as time allowed, days off fishing and the ocean. Reading - studying the Torah, bible stories, psalms, and poets/poetry was a huge part of his life, and he incorporated them into his art.

His art is easily identified as a Schary. Articles about my father depicted him as a 20th-century Dutch master. He could draw and paint anything and admired new modern art forms but would never commercialize himself. 

The sketches in this section span 56 years. Many became paintings, pastels, lithographs, glass plaques, windows, and sculptures. Sketches were never sold. My father kept them in portfolios and gave them to me before he passed away with special instructions. 

My promise to my Father and Mother is now fulfilled, allowing me to share "Discovering Emanuel Schary" with the world. This website should have been named "Discovering Emanuel Schary and the woman who loved him with all her heart. She would not allow that.

DS

*Some sketch measurements many be incorrect