Snowbirds

"Snowbirds"
6x8 oil on canvas
Carol Horzempa

This is my submission for the Alice Thompson's Calypso Moon Artist Movement monthly challenge. The title of this challenge is "Painting History." Alice asked us to capture a moment in time we witnessed that involves people, tell why we chose the subject and how it relates to us"

This painting was inspired by a photo I took on Florida's Emerald Coast while walking along the beach on a foggy overcast day. I spotted two "Snowbirds" sitting in plastic lawn chairs and couldn't help but snap a picture. The woman in red seemed to be waiting for her partner to wake up after being lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the waves or could it be boredom? The three figures in the far distance are my husband and son with the family dog.

This is our favorite beach that we often visit while vacationing in the south where our son lives. We just had our first snowfall today so in a few weeks we will be heading south again just like "Snowbirds" for a little fun on the beach and time with our son during the Holidays.

Fall Farm Field

Fall Farm Field

6x8 oil on gessoed panel
Carol Horzempa

I painted this farm field from a photo taken near the Illinois border. Several times a month my husband and I take a day trip down to Illinois to visit his 96-year-old mother. On the last trip down there I had my camera and caught several scenes that I have painted in my mind in the past. It's amazing what digital cameras can do these days even in a moving car!

This scene represents so much of what I often see beyond my car window but never have the time to stop and paint. I used the same palette colors as my last painting, "November Grays."

November Grays

"November Grays"
6x8 oil on wood panel
Carol Horzempa

Today was a great day to do a quick study of subtle grays on an overcast day. This was done at the nearby Kettle Moraine State Forest. I used a limited palette of Cadmium Yellow Light, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White. I tried to focus on color and just painting the masses.

Shawna was being a good guard dog chasing away a red fox while I painted. We also had a chance to do a bit of nature hiking. Shawna is a bird dog and while hiking she flushed this young bird out of the brush. I think it might be a baby pheasant. I hope it can survive the winter, it seems so young.