A grandfather embraces his grandson while they sit on a chair outside on a warm day. His smile expresses pride, but the boy curiously stares ahead as if he wonders why he poses for the artist. A closer look at the subjects reveals more about the contrast of their emotions through the artist's positioning of their hands and legs.

The discerning eye visualizes the interpretations of local artist Fernando DeJesus and can see that his movement of shades of color across the canvas has created what he calls "a series of moments.""I like to express subtle movements in my paintings," said DeJesus, who was born in Puerto Rico, but raised in Cleveland, Ohio. "I believe that the movement of my paint and colors draws you into the relationship of the emotional content, and in this case, the different feelings between the man and his grandson."A young artist in the makingDeJesus first became interested in another form of artistic expression at the Cleveland School of Arts when a teacher noticed his athletic abilities and introduced him to ballet and modern dance. A former baseball player and boxer, DeJesus choreographed his own auditions that later helped him earn a scholarship at Ohio State University. After two years at OSU, where he would rehearse his routines 10 hours a day, DeJesus decided to transfer to the State University of New York - Purchase Art School."I really wanted to release my inner spirit," he said. "I would work at my dance rehearsals all day at SUNY too, but after a while, I felt like I wanted to try something different."At the age of 22, DeJesus took a trip to Italy to visit the country's art museums. One day he sat down next to a sculpture where he felt "right at home" and at that moment he decided he wanted to become a sculptor.That ambition was not to be fulfilled just yet. He returned to Puerto Rico, where he studied painting under the tutelage of Luis Borrero. He bartered his tuition with Borrero in exchange for making his instructor's paints and stretching his canvasses.DeJesus learned from Borrero what he calls, "light values," the process of utilizing shading of color in his paintings as a tool for displaying variations of light upon subjects and scenes. Shading becomes an integral part of capturing a series of moments. One large painting in his studio depicts this method.The woman sits on a chair next to a table. The lines and dimensions on her face and the dark shading of her eyes suggest that she has not aged well. She looks down upon the leaves of a young plant growing out of a cup that rests on the table.Through light values, DeJesus captured opposing emotions of life. The woman wears a tired expression of years of struggle. The planting of seeds has produced new leaves of a life now emerging.Craft and creation in the PoconosBorrero helped DeJesus earn a scholarship to one of the oldest art schools in America, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts in Philadelphia. There DeJesus majored in representational painting and minored in sculpture."I began to see the emotional content of my work, my own vision of what I perceive as life around me."While working as a waiter in a Philadelphia restaurant, DeJesus met Jennifer Dixion, who would become his wife. Currently she works as a pediatric medical assistant in Palmerton."I was so focused on my art work, we really didn't have much time for our relationship," he explained. "Jennifer supported my passion then and she does now."From living in Puerto Rico, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia, DeJesus made the decision with his wife against returning to live in his Caribbean home due to the island's struggling economy."We wanted to find a rural place where I could be more in touch with an environment that's conducive to my work."On a trip to Jim Thorpe, they fell in love with the town. They moved there and DeJesus soon set up his studio in Weissport, where he has painted and sculpted for the past six months."Except for the cold weather, this area is a lot like Puerto Rico, especially with the mountains and the friendliness of the people."DeJesus, who works part time as a waiter for Trattoria's 903 restaurant in Jim Thorpe, paints live models as well as nature scenes. His paintings and sculptures have been displayed in several art shows and galleries all the way to Texas.He is particular about his supplies, using only Belgian linen canvasses and a gluing process that preserves the vibrancy of the paint for "at least 100 years.""I boil rabbit skin glue pellets and when applied to a canvas, it creates a barrier between the linen and the oil paint which then keeps the paint looking fresh and clean for a very long period of time."DeJesus creates bronze sculptures too, many of which convey his theme of a series of moments. One in particular he titled, "Solitude of Your Own."A family of four sits on a couch. The parents lean back while the two children appear to be lying in comfort with their mom and dad.A closer look shows that none of the characters have faces, implying that this scene is not one of family intimacy, but rather a moment when each individual is locked into the solitude of his or her own mind.Once again, the perception of emotional movements contradicted by the empty faces distinctly project a unique interpretation of the sculpture.Failure is not an optionDeJesus is aware that approximately 5 percent of students who graduate from art schools actually make a living from their artwork.That meager number does not deter him from following his passion and completing his mission."When I was in Italy I was inspired by the work ethic I saw from Michelangelo. He would work at his craft for 15 to 20 hours a day. When I walked into the Sistine Chapel, I wanted to cry when I saw the results of his tireless efforts."His work to create is his life's passion. DeJesus seeks not to make a fortune, but only a living off his paintings and sculptures and from teaching art classes as well."I want to teach students what I know. We're only here on this earth for a short while so we should share our knowledge with others."His determination to succeed is strengthened by something Luis Borrero said to him in Puerto Rico."He told me I have to be like drops of water hitting the face of a rock until the drops put a dent into the rock."Fernando DeJesus has already put his "dent" into the world of art and with his ambition to please his clients and his determination to follow his passion, he encourages anyone interested in custom portraits, sculptures, or attending his art classes (no experience necessary) can contact him at

fernarts@hotmail.com or visit his website at DeJesusfinearts.com.