Thread: How do you say, "to volunteer doing artwork" in Russian?

С пятницы, я провел много часов у сестры в подвале, где я занимался каким-то "художественным произведением" -- т.е., пишу большую картину на простыне, для сестириной церкви.

I mean to say, "Since Friday, I've spent many hours in my sister's basement, where I was busy with some sort of 'artistic endeavor' -- i.e., I was painting a large picture on a bedsheet, for my sister's church."

Specifically, it's a "landscape" (ландшафт?) representing the "sacraments" (таинства?) of Roman Catholicism. For example, a flowing river for крещение (baptism), a table of bread and grapes for причастие (Communion/Eucharist) -- I don't know the names of the other sacraments in Russian, and honestly, I don't really need to know, since I'm somewhere between an atheist and a "Southparkian Deist" (I accept the possibility of a Supreme Being, but I do not rule out that his/her/its True Form is a косоглазый бегемот-кот who gives gay relationship advice to Satan.)

But how would I express "I'm volunteering my time doing artwork"?

Specifically, could I use a construction like "в качестве добровольца"? And if you're only a semi-talented artist producing a large painting on an old bedsheet, can that be considered заниматься художником, or what?

>semi-talented artist
Talented schmalented. Are you an officially registered volunteer?
=:^)

Рисовал пейзажи (landscapes) на религиозную тематику.
-на общественных началах (old Soviet phrase for "volunteer work")
-бесплатно (for free)
-в целях благотворительности (as a charity)

"Доброволец" usually means military service volunteer during war time.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

С пятницы, я провел много часов у сестры в подвале, где я занимался каким-то "художественным произведением" -- т.е., пишу большую картину на простыне, для сестириной церкви.

Make a picture please

Originally Posted by it-ogo

-бесплатно (for free)

бескорыстно is better
бесплатно usually means - not for money (or anything else)
IMHO

Заниматься изобразительным искусством/рисованием.
Заниматься художником - это совсем другое! (Вам фраза "Я им займусь" понятна?)

И лучше "не у сестры в подвале", а "у сестры, в подвале её дома"

...провёл много времени у сестры. Я подрядился поработать художником-любителем: помогал сестре в подвале её дома нарисовать пейзаж на религиозную тематику для её церкви на большой простыне.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

And if you're only a semi-talented artist producing a large painting on an old bedsheet, can that be considered заниматься художником, or what?

Originally Posted by И. Ильф, Е. Петров.

Киса, я давно хотел вас спросить как художник художника — вы рисовать умеете?
/Двенадцать стульев/

Originally Posted by it-ogo

-на общественных началах (old Soviet phrase for "volunteer work")

Занимался общественно-полезным делом.
Выполнял общественно-полезную работу.

Thanks to everyone for the corrections and suggestions! (I had forgotten for a while about posting this question, and just remembered today to check this old thread...) One question:

Я им займусь

Um... I don't know exactly what this means. Is there some kind of sexual double-entendre here? (Obviously, I got the construction я занимаюсь искусством mixed up with я работаю художником!)

я им займусь is a promise to get him done In any means
To get him straighten up for example

Originally Posted by CoffeeCup

Занимался общественно-полезным делом.
Выполнял общественно-полезную работу.

Somehow I don't like these expressions. For me, they mean approximately "to do some favor to public" as opposed to "to do smth for myself".
But church is just small subset of public. Hence, it seems that there's no simple way to say that in short words. "На общественных началах" is probably best, IMHO.

Я им займусь

Context and intonation plays role. "Заняться кем-л." means approximately "to pay more attention to somebody". It could be about starting to flirt ("я ей займусь"), or about something else.
When I had seen your post, I recalled old movie Association de malfaiteurs (1987) - IMDb
"Козёл! Козёл до кончиков ногтей! Я им займусь" - says "good guy" about "bad" Hassler in Russian translation. Here "заняться Хасслером" means "to punish", "to bring to account", ... something like that.