South of North Studio

Eskie on White

2012-02-06T19:21:00.003-06:00

Eskie on White

oil on gessoed panel
$85.00

This painting is part of the Daily Paintworks "White on White Challenge" posted by Ann Feldman. I wanted to focus on painting dogs plus work on my values this week, so this weeks challenge was perfect timing for me. I painted this little Eskie (American Eskimo) in the past and thought his soft white fur would be a great way to study color and value in light and shadow.

Thanks Ann for this great challenge on finding color in white subjects.

Road Closed

2012-02-04T18:02:00.004-06:00

"Road Closed"

6x6 oil on canvas

This painting is part of the "Wheel Challenge" posted by Carol Carmichael on Daily Paintworks. For inspiration I used a photo I took several years ago of a flooded street in my village. Carol challenged artist to paint something with wheels and the freedom they give us. These two boys seem to be looking for a little adventure on just two wheels!

Old Sailor

2012-01-28T12:15:00.008-06:00

"Old Sailor"

oil on canvas 6x8

Last year my husband and I met this old sailor while vacationing along the Florida Gulf Coast. He was on his way down to Sarasota in his sail boat and was kind enough to let me photograph him. I always wanted to paint this pose but was afraid it was too difficult. Now I have found I really enjoy painting the human figure, even hands and feet! This painting has been entered in this weeks Seated Figure Challenge on Daily Paintworks.

Shawna in Tangerine Sky

2012-01-21T22:10:00.005-06:00

"Shawna in Tangerine Sky"

oil on canvas 6x8

NFS

Last Summer I took a photo of Shawna sitting on the shore of Lake Superior at sunset. The sky and water were ablaze with colors of Tangerine and red. I decided to use the photo for inspiration in the "Color of the Year Challenge" on Daily Paintworks. Kathy Weber challenged fellow artists to do a painting based around the Pantone color "Tangerine Tango." Thank you Kathy for this great challenge!

Waiting

2011-12-08T11:58:00.006-06:00

"Waiting"

oil on canvas 8x8
NFS

My Gordon Setter Shawna, waits every day for her favorite people to put on their boots and take her for a walk. She is 12 years old, gray in the muzzle and a little arthritic but still acts like a bird dog out in the woods. This is the third time I have done a painting of Shawna laying next to boots. This time I spent more time tying to capture her special look while waiting to go for a walk.

Polly Madel of Daily Paintworks challenged artists to paint "mans best friend" and their favorite thing. Shawna knows when my husband and I put on our hiking boots that means she gets to do her favorite thing!

Kurt

2011-12-03T15:06:00.007-06:00

"Kurt"
(in the style of Vincent van Gogh)
© 2011 Carol Horzempa

6x8 oil on canvas

Gloria Zukaro of Daily Paintworks challenged artists to paint in the style of an artist they admire. I always wanted to do a portrait of my son-in law in the style of Vincent van Gogh. Kurt, who looks like Vincent's better looking twin is a song-writer and musician.

For reference, I used one of van Gogh's last self-portraits painted in 1889 a year before his untimely death. I'm afraid I got a little carried away with lines and swirls, but at the same time I found myself admiring the passion and genius of this prolific painter.

"This is my ambition, which is, in spite of everything, founded less on anger than on love, more on serenity than on passion. It is true that I am often in the greatest misery, but still there is a calm pure harmony and music inside me..."

Vincent van Gogh

Waiting For Toast

2011-11-24T15:30:00.003-06:00

"Waiting For Toast"

oil on canvas 6x6

$85.00

Shelly Ross on DailyPaintworks challenged artists to paint their toaster in this weeks challenge. This was an opportunity for me to work on reflections and paint some more tomatos. Even though I got a little carried away with detail, I'm pleased that my toaster looks shinny. Thanks Shelly, this was a fun challenge. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

These Boots Are Made For Walking

2011-11-18T22:53:00.002-06:00

"These Boots Are Made For Walking"

oil on canvas 6x6

$75.00

Nancy Sinatra's song was running through my head while painting this one. Walking my dog in the woods is something I do twice a day while wearing my favorite hiking boots. I tried to capture what I see along the leaf covered path on a fall day. This painting is part of the Shoe Challenge posted by Cheri Homaee on Daily Paintworks.

Smoking Scection

2011-11-12T11:02:00.004-06:00

Smoking Section

6x6 oil on Masonite panel

$95.00

Carol Marine posted a photo on Daily Paintworks challenging artists to paint a crowd scene. This was a lot of fun but next time I will use a larger format...very challenging!

Mini Pumpkins on Red

2011-11-05T01:11:00.005-05:00

Mini Pumpkin on Red

6x6 oil on canvas

$85.00

For several weeks these two mini pumpkins were sitting in my studio waiting to be painted. I decided to set them on a red background and see if I could get them to stand out and be noticed. I found painting these little guys a real challenge but a lot of fun! This is part of the DPW Paint Your Pumpkin Challenge hosted by Carol Marine. Thanks Carol!

Camping Trip

2011-10-19T11:53:00.000-05:00

Bear Lake Campground

I have been away from my studio for the past two weeks enjoying the Rocky Mountains, traveling through New Mexico, Texas and finally down to Covington, LA where my husband and I spent some time visiting our son. Now after a lot of gas miles, hundreds of photos of fantastic scenery, I'm happy to be back in Wisconsin and looking forward to getting back to my studio.

Nature Study

2011-10-02T16:26:00.004-05:00

"Nature Study"

oil on gessoed panel 6x6

Ann Feldman posted a Fall Challenge on Daily Paintworks last week challenging artist to paint something pertaining to nature with a fall theme and using bright colors.

In this challenge I painted on a gessoed panel with a bright orange undertone and used Manganese Blue Hue for the background. Ann suggest turquoise for one of the colors so this is the brightest blue I could find in my studio. I hardly ever use this blue, made by Winsor & Newton but with this challenge I discovered a wonderful intense blue and plan to use it more often.

I really love this time of year! My studio is getting cluttered with acorns, leaves and other fall gatherings. Unfortunately this season goes way too quickly.

Early Girl

2011-09-22T19:23:00.010-05:00

"Early Girl"

oil on gessoed panel

4x5.5

Another tomato painting, this time all by herself. I'm really starting to enjoy painting tomatoes and hope the frost doesn't get them before I can paint a few more.

No Makeup Please!

2011-09-20T20:15:00.000-05:00

No Makeup Please!

oil on canvas 6x4.5

I painted my makeup (which I rarely use) for the Limited Stroke Challenge in Daily Paintworks. We were challenged to plan our painting by counting the number of strokes we would need to paint each color shape. I tried to stick to 32 strokes but lost count after I reached 40. I had fun with this challenge though and will try again.

Turning Red

2011-09-15T00:17:00.002-05:00

"Turning Red"

5x5 oil on canvas

The larger tomato was literally turning red while I was painting. That is how slow I was with this painting. I kept changing the colors which was not a smart thing to do. Hopefully I will speed up on my next tomato painting.

Tomato Studies

2011-09-09T21:46:00.003-05:00

"Tomato Studies"

6x6 oil on canvas

Instead of 10 minute studies, I took my time and focused on trying to make these tomatoes look round and heavy like they are. The stems started drying under the light but I liked how they curled up. This year I have a lot of tomatoes growing in my garden and hope to paint more before the frost.

Garden Study

2011-08-18T22:18:00.000-05:00

"Garden Study"

oil on canvas 6x8

In late summer there is only a short span of time where I have sun in my garden. My Impatiens don't seem to mind though. I did manage to finish most of my painting before returning to the studio.

My garden is growing a bit wild, almost covering the watering can but I find it more interesting than a manicured garden.

Bay Furnace III

2011-08-13T23:01:00.007-05:00

Bay Furnace III

oil on canvas 6x8

This is my 3rd painting of this bay on Lake Superior in the Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Every year on our annual family camping trip I bring my paints and plan to do some plein air painting at Bay Furnace Campground. Instead of painting I always ended up taking pictures and painting from photos in my studio. This year I finally pushed myself to make an attempt at painting on the beach under a shade tree and found it was actually fun!

Sanctuary

2011-08-04T14:00:00.013-05:00

"Sanctuary"

6x8 oil on canvas

Yesterday I decided to go out to my backyard to see what I could paint. I love how the evening sun creates dramatic light and shadows across my yard. My hosta plant always stands out with it's bright yellow-green leaves at this time of day. I almost didn't paint the bench swing since I wasn't sure how to paint it. I found it was easier to paint as long as I didn't focus on the details. I started losing my sun so I finished this painting from memory in my studio.

I used a limited palette of cad. yellow medium, cad. red light, ultramarine blue plus white.

Geranium Study

2011-07-28T21:24:00.010-05:00

"Geranium Study"

oil on canvas

6x6

This has been a draining week trying to plein air paint flowers in my back yard. With the rain for two days, inhaling mosquitos, getting stung by bees and finally the leg on my good easel falling apart, I headed back to my studio (again). Today, round 7 pm I decided to try again, on my deck this time. I set my old reliable French easel next to a Geranium plant that was looking a bit wilted. I thought the touch of orange on a few dry leaves would add color.

This time I really enjoyed the experience of painting fast and even had time to put in a few details and get it done in one hour flat! The sun was setting and I was losing my light so the values are a little off. Now I would like to try painting this plant in sunlight. By the way I love decks, no mosquitos!

Be sure to check all the floral paintings on The Nature's Arrangement Challenge in Daily Paintworks here.

Wildflower Study

2011-07-25T21:01:00.014-05:00

"Wildflower Study"

5x6 oil on canvas

I decided to practice painting flowers from a photo in my studio today before another attempt at plein air painting in my garden. After struggling way too long I was tempted to wipe the paint off and start over. In one last attempt I found adding a little red and warm browns seemed to work and will try to use this color scheme in this weeks DWP Challenge. I used the same limited palette of cad. red light, cad. yellow med, and ultra blue plus white.

Begonia Study

2011-07-23T21:29:00.011-05:00

Begonia Study

5x6 oil on canvas

This was intended for James Coulter's Nature Arrangement Challenge on Daily Paintworks. He challenged artists to stand between one to six feet away from flowers on the ground and paint them in one hour, (no cheating). A limited palette of Cad. Yellow Med. or light, Cad. Red Light, Ultra Blue and White was also part of this challenge.

To start off I noticed my timer kept stopping and I lost track of my time. I also realized I broke one of the rules of not using white except with blues and purples. My flowers were peach so just red and yellow wasn't working.

After not sticking to the rules I decided to take a picture and finish the painting in my air conditioned studio. Next time I will try Cad. Yellow Light, buy a new timer and not sneak back to my studio with a photo before the painting is done.

This is really a fun challenge but I'm finding flowers are really hard to paint!

Neglected Tools

2011-07-20T21:11:00.012-05:00

"Neglected Tools"

oil on canvas 6x6

$75.00

I've always wanted to paint my painting tools and finally found time to join Carol Marine's "Paint What You Paint With Challenge," on Daily Paintworks. This was a fun challenge but I really struggled with the tube of paint and especially the cap. Finally I scraped the cap off and tried again. If I don't look too close I'm actually pleased with the whole painting.

I feel rather guilty about the care of my tools as you can see but manage to paint with them the way they are.

Old Mill House Challenge

2011-07-02T23:34:00.011-05:00

Old Mill House

oil on canvas 6x6

NFS

This is my submission to the Daily Paintworks Challenge. Jean Nelson submitted a photo of an old mill for this challenge.

I see so many scenes like this in Northern Wisconsin and I have always wanted to paint one. I found this one especially challenging since I have been suffering from a serious case of "Artist's Block" for quite a while. I actually had fun painting though and hope this will get me back to the studio or even some Plein Air painting this summer.

Okruszek

2011-04-21T03:07:00.028-05:00

Okruszek

oil on canvas 6x6
© 2011 Carol Horzempa
NFS

This is a little homeless dog that was found tied to the inside of a trash can in Poland. A wonderful woman named Ori has a rescue home for homeless cats and dogs that have been abandoned, abused or found in the forests of Poland. Not only does she find homes for them but she takes beautiful pictures of them and has given me permission to paint from her photos.

Okruszek, which means crumb in Polish, is a fitting name for him since he was thrown in the trash like nothing other than a piece of crumb. He is an old dog with health problems but will be taken care of by kind caregivers to enjoy his last days with good food, medicine and a warm bed.

My granddaughter fell in love with this painting so I plan to surprise her with it for her birthday next week.

This painting has been submitted to the DPW Challenge on Color sponsored by Carol Marine.

Update: On April 28th Ori (the woman in Poland that rescued Okruszek) wrote this on her blog about Okruszek (Crumb):

Crumb died yesterday evening.

We had him for three weeks and three days.
I guess I have never met anyone who would be at the bottom of this misery, so incredibly battered by fate, so lonely and helpless.
We tried for three weeks to give him as much love as he should get through his long life. We believed, or rather, I naively believed that in this way manage to outwit the disease, banish it from the Heavens and bargain a few months.
Crumb rewarded us well-being and attempt to return to health, but the forces he was able to very briefly.
He died as someone very dear, important, deplorable as Someone's dog, nestling, farewell, and was buried with great respect.

(This has been translated from Polish to English by Google Translate)

Blue Day II

2011-04-04T11:45:00.025-05:00

Blue Day
oil on canvas 6x6
© 2011 Carol Horzempa
Sold

I decided to paint from the same photo that I used for a painting I did two years ago called "Blue Day." I wanted to experiment with the "one color per stroke" method in this painting. I have found myself painting this way ever since I entered Carol Marine's "One Color per Stroke Challenge" on the Daily Paintworks website.

I am really hooked on this method of painting! You have to think about values and color before each stroke but it's fun and I find my paintings look fresher. Of course I did break a couple of rules by using a smaller brush in places and forgetting to squint.

When I took the photo of Shawna, she was laid up with a torn dewclaw and had to spend the day indoors with a bandage on her leg. She looked so sad and worried in the photo that I just couldn't resist painting her the first time and a second time with a little thicker paint.

This is the second painting I've entered in Carol Marine's challenge. Be sure to check the over 200 entries here.

The Help Japan Challenge

2011-03-27T00:14:00.027-05:00

Waiting

on canvas 6x6
© 2011 Carol Horzempa
Sold

I decided to do another painting of Shawna, this time with her head resting on my husband's boots. I took the picture yesterday and she was a great model, waiting patiently for me to snap the picture while giving me the eye.

We adopted this sweet dog 10 years ago when she was a year old. While my husband was writing out a check to the rescue people Shawna laid down next to his feet and put her head on his boot. I knew then this homeless dog was adopting my husband and they have been inseparable ever since.

I will be donating this painting to the Daily Paintworks website: "The Japan Challenge." I thought this painting would be fitting for this challenge since "home" is the theme. This painting comes with a solid cherry wood frame.

All proceeds will go directly to the Humane Society International. The HSI team will be taking in animals that have lost their owners and helping the Japanese people who have managed to survive with their pets.

Please click here to the auction page to place your bid.

Update: Here is a photo of the solid wood cherry frame that comes with this paintings.

The Help Japan Challenge

2011-03-21T21:17:00.024-05:00

Gatekeeper

oil on canvas 5.5 x 6.75
with solid cherry wood frame
Sold
Bid by visiting the auction website here

This is my entry for Daily Paintworks Challenge: "Help Japan Challenge" which is a fund-raiser for those who were affected by the recent disasters in Japan.

The theme for this challenge is "Home." Though I did this painting a while ago I thought it was fitting for this challenge. In the summer I have large Peony bushes growing next to my picket fence near the gate. When they are in full bloom it is such a welcoming sight for friends and family to see them as they drive up to my home.

All proceeds from this painting will go directly to the Japanese Red Cross Society

Update: Here is a photo of the solid cherry wood frame that comes with this painting. The dimensions of the frame are 7 x 8.25.

Spring Thaw on Prospect

2011-03-17T23:04:00.015-05:00

Spring Thaw on Prospect

Hope of spring has finally arrived! While driving down Prospect Avenue in my village I was struck by the bright yellow reflection of a school crossing sign. Luckily I had my camera along and caught a great photo of a moment in time.

I have always wanted to paint reflections on wet city streets and dirty snow. This is supposed to be the ugly season with all the gray and brown snow left over after a long winter, but I found a lot of beauty in the variety of grays and colorful reflections.

My palate colors were: Cadmium Yellow light & medium, Cadmium orange, Yellow Ochre light, Cadmium Red light, Chromium Oxide Red, Ultramarine Blue light & deep, Viridian and Titanium White.

Sweet Bell

2011-03-01T20:57:00.013-06:00

"Sweet Bell"
© 2011 Carol Horzempa
6x5 oil on canvas
$85.00

Another Carol Marine Daily Paintworks Challenge and what fun this was! Carol challenged fellow artists to paint one stroke of color at a time. We were to mix a new color for each stroke and not worry about edges.

I had to drag out my old easel since part of the challenge was to stand and step back often while painting. I've forgotten how much I love standing at my easel! Been doin' to much sitting lately.

Some of my colors mingled when I had to adjust the values with another stroke of color over the first stoke but I loved working this way and found it very liberating. I have a zillion brush strokes...got to remember to squint more often. Sometimes old habits are hard to give up. Hopefully my next one will be painted with fewer strokes and less correction of values.

We were supposed to use a 1/2-inch or larger brush. I found my number 6 & 8 bright brushes worked well for this challenge, using the side for smaller strokes. My palette colors were cadmium yellow light & medium, cadmium orange, cadmium red light, chromium oxide red, ultramarine blue and titanium white.

Be sure to check here to see all the great submissions to this challenge.

Rose Study

2011-02-25T12:09:00.005-06:00

Rose Study

My roses from Valentines Day have almost expired so I decided to try another shot at painting a rose. I used the same palette colors as I did in my first rose painting for DPW Challenge. I decided I really need more practice and can't wait until my roses start blooming in my garden this spring.

Zippo

2011-02-23T13:02:00.006-06:00

Zippo

This is my submission for this weeks DPW Challenge. A really great artist by the name of Michael Naples posted a reference photo of a Zippo lighter for this weeks challenge. He invited fellow artists to paint the Zippo using only burnt sienna, ultramarine blue and titanium white. This was a great lesson in values and quite challenging!

Red Rose Waiting

2011-02-16T19:41:00.007-06:00

Red Rose Waiting
5x7 oil on canvas
© 2010 Carol Horzempa
NFS

I never thought I would enjoy painting a rose until I tried this challenge posted by Qiang Huang who is a master in painting roses. He challenged fellow artists too paint a red rose on the weekly DPW Challenge. This is my second one, the first one I loved too and can't wait to try more. I have now fallen in love with red roses and painting them!

My palette colors were Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Red Light, Chromium Oxide Red, Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White.

10 Minute Apple Studies

2011-02-12T20:03:00.003-06:00

Ten Minute Apple Studies
6x12 oil on canvas
© 2011 Carol Horzempa

This is my contribution to a challenge posted by Carol Marine on Daily Paintworks. Our goal was to paint an object of our choice eight times allowing only 10 minutes using a timer. This is a great challenge for improving skills and painting fearlessly. Check the DPW Challenge website here to see over 160 artist's 10 minute paintings.

Finally Framing My Work

2011-01-26T18:22:00.018-06:00

"Walkin' the Dog"
6x8 © 2009 Carol Horzempa
0il on canvas panel
NFS

This January my well-intentioned plan was to frame everything that needs frames before starting another painting. All month I have been touching up and rescuing paintings, some of which I thought weren't worthy of a frame. It is a lot more time consuming than I thought.

I have learned one thing though, no more odd size paintings! I am fortunate enough to have a spouse who has a special gift in woodworking and can make beautiful frames out of recycled wood any size I want.

This painting, which was an odd size, was done for a Karen Jurick challenge. I was able to enlarge it to a 6x8 by adding more background.

The frame is made from recycled wood that my husband rescued from an old house that was being torn down several years ago. I think this pine wood taken from an old paneled wall looks beautiful in its second life or should I say third as a frame. I even like the little dings and patina that gives it a rustic look!

Garden Shed III

2010-12-30T08:20:00.010-06:00

Garden Shed III
©2010 Carol Horzempa
oil on canvas
NFS

This is a plein air painting of my garden shed I did several years ago. This was my third try in painting this shed at the time. Unfortunately I wasn't happy with it so it ended up in my reject pile. I was hoping I could someday figure out how to correct some of the problems since I was really happy with the flower box and sunlight on the shed. I was pleasantly surprised it only needed a bit of tweaking with lost and found edges and correcting some of the architecture.

I'm happy I took a photo before framing so I could post the results on my blog. Sorry...I forgot to take a before photo of the painting.

I actually had a hard time parting with this painting but had planed to give it to my son in Louisiana as a house-warming gift. My son said he used to play in this shed when he was a boy so I think he was happy to have a painting with good memories of his childhood back home.

Now I'm thinking I should go back to my reject pile and see what else I can rescue...

Christmas Carol

2010-12-19T07:55:00.014-06:00

Christmas Carol
©20o1 Carol Horzempa
13x15 Conte Cray0n on Canson
NFS

I've been away from my studio and busy with the holiday madness so I decided to post this drawing I did several years ago. For inspiration I used an old photo taken of me on Christmas morning when I was a small child. This drawing was done with Conte Crayon on Canson drawing paper.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to everyone!

Snowbirds

2010-11-30T15:46:00.009-06:00

Snowbirds
6x8 oil on canvas
© 2010 Carol Horzempa
$95.00

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

2010-11-20T19:42:00.009-06:00

Fall Farm Field

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

2010-11-03T19:32:00.019-05:00

November Grays
© 2010 Carol Horzempa
6x8 oil on wood panel

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.

Halloween Eyes

2010-10-30T06:33:00.013-05:00

Halloween Eyes
5x5 oil on canvas
© 2010 Carol horzempa

This is my submission for Alice Thompson's Spooktacular Challenge, centered on a Halloween theme. One of her suggestions was "black cats," and how could I not do a painting of my black cat, Kiki! I decided to change her eyes to orange to make her look especially spooky for Halloween; she really has yellow/green eyes.

These colors are very unlike what I'm used to but after all it is Halloween! My palette colors for the background were Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Red Light, and for Kiki I used Alizarin Crimson, Phthalo Blue, and a touch of Chromatic Black plus Titanium White.

This is my first time using Chromatic Black by Gamblin. It is transparent and is made from Phthalo green and Quinacridone Red, no black in it. I'm looking forward to experimenting more with this color. Happy Halloween!

Onion Study

2010-10-28T19:03:00.010-05:00

Onion Study

5x5 oil on canvas
© 2010 Carol Horzempa

Now that the weather has turned windy, wet and cold I decided to do a study of what ever I could find interesting in my kitchen. I tried to keep my brushstrokes loose and still capture the feel of an onion. I found onions are not easy to paint but I will be looking forward to trying another. I used a limited palette of Cadmium Yellow Light, Alizarin Crimson, and Ultramarine Blue with a touch a Viridian plus Titanium White.

Sharon's Shed

2010-10-13T19:20:00.011-05:00

Sharon's Shed

6x8 oil on canvas

This cute little Shed belongs to my neighbor down the street. She is an antique collector and always has interesting items decorating her shed. I was meaning to paint this shed when she had it surrounded with flowers this summer but now that it is Autumn I thought the fall leaves added interest to the scene.

Update: This photo was taken next to a window instead of using indoor lighting and a (handmade) photo tent. I think it is closer to my original painting. I'm beginning to think just shooting in natural daylight is better and find I do less color correction in Photoshop.

I forgot to mention I used the same limited palette as the last two paintings which are Kevin Macpherson's palette colors.

Kettle Moraine Firs

2010-10-05T19:45:00.013-05:00

Kettle Moraine Firs

6x8 oil on canvas panel
©2010 Carol Horzempa

I took advantage of another beautiful day at Kettle Moraine State Forest painting these two little fir trees today. Midday was not the best time to paint though, but the subtle changes in the grassy meadow, and these little firs with dried weeds really intrigued me.

This painting was done on a RayMar Plein Aire Panel. I really love the texture of the medium weight canvas. I used the same limited palette as the last one.

Kettle Moraine

2010-10-01T17:01:00.012-05:00

Kettle Moraine
oil on gessoed panel
©2010 Carol Horzempa

Yesterday was a perfect day for plein air painting in Kettle Moraine State Forest. Not only was it sunny and warm but I was also entertained by the abundant wildlife including a beautiful red fox!

I used a limited palette of Cadmium Yellow Light, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White.

Plein Air Workshop

2010-09-25T21:02:00.023-05:00

This is what I have been doing the last three Saturdays. Unfortunately it rained the first two classes and was bitter cold and windy yesterday, with the sun disappearing midway only to reappear when the class ended.

I still don't have anything I care to post yet. The reject pile is building up in the corner of my studio from all my other plain air excursions for the past several weeks. The good thing is, I am learning a lot working away from the comforts of my studio and what Darron Lillian, plain air artist of Southeast Wisconsin has been teaching in his workshop. Now I'm just hoping what I have been learning will show up in my paintings someday. Hopefully next Saturday will bring sunny and warm weather with more fall colors to paint.

Below daughter Carrie and class braving the elements.

Bay Furnace

2010-08-31T14:46:00.015-05:00

Bay Furnace
oil on canvas 6x8
©2010 Carol Horzempa

This is the second painting I've done of Bay Furnace on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula. My family camps up there every year and I again brought my paints hoping to paint along the shore. Instead I spent most my time either in the water, which was unusually warm this year or walking along the shore with my camera. This is a scene painted from a photo I took during my early morning walk.

Color Study of Tree

2010-08-18T21:31:00.012-05:00

Color Study of Tree
oil on gessoed paper 3x5.5
SOLD

I found this little tree while walking the dog near a man-made pond. The area is not much to look at but I wanted to see if I could make something interesting out of this scene while working on my greens.

I have scraps of watercolor paper from years past that I gessoed for these little studies. I used the same palette as the last one.

Last Farm Field

2010-08-17T13:48:00.009-05:00

Last Farm Field

oil on gessoed watercolor paper
4x6

This farm field is surrounded by subdivisions just outside my village. The farmer still has sheep so I hope to get some more photos when the sheep are in the field.

This started out to be just a small color study on warm and cool greens but I had fun painting the fence and field and spent more time than planned. My palette colors were Cad. Yellow Light, Cad. Orange, Cad. Red Light, Alizarin Crimson, Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Ivory black and Titanium White.

Painting Trees

2010-08-12T07:41:00.015-05:00

oil on gessoed watercolor paper
6x7.25

I thought I would share with you what I have been doing in my studio lately. I decided I needed a refresher course on painting trees. I would love to go out to the main source and paint directly from nature but the mosquitoes are more ravenous than ever in WI this year. Even repellent doesn't help much so I'm confined to my studio for now.

With this painting I followed a painting demo in Elizabeth Tolley's "Oil Painter's Solution Book Landscape." This is a great book on landscape painting with step-by-step demos and tons of valuable information.

Garden Shed VI

2010-07-17T12:39:00.012-05:00

"Garden Shed VI"
6x8 oil on canvas
©2010 Carol Horzempa

Finally I'm back in my studio or should I say forced to be here. This is the only room in my house that is air-conditioned. This summer has been hectic with out-of-town trips but now I have time to focus on studio projects until another camping trip up north.

Buried away in my studio are several plein air paintings of my garden shed I've done in the past that I never was quite happy with. This time on my sixth try I finally got the result I was shooting for.

I love how the late afternoon sun cast dramatic shadows on my shed. I have been painting it in my mind so often this summer that I finally decided to paint it from a photo, since I'm too pokey to try and capture this fleeting moment.

My palette colors for this painting were Cad. Yellow Light, & Deep, a touch of Cad. Lemon, Cad. Red Light, Transparent Oxide Red, Cobalt Blue, Viridian and Titanium White.

Tishie Trouble

2010-05-25T06:52:00.008-05:00

"Tishie Trouble"
6x6 oil on Masonite panel
© 2009 Carol Horzempa

This little dog is an American Eskimo who belongs to my 96-year-old mother-in-law, Estelle. I have been taking care of her "baby" for a couple of months while she is recuperating from a fall in her home.

In this painting I tried to focus on capturing Tishie's spirit and that mischievous look he gives me every time he's about ready to get into trouble. He will hopefully be returning home to his "mommy" the beginning of June.

Little Traveler

2010-03-23T22:18:00.031-05:00

"Little Traveler"

4x6 oil on canvas

$70.00

I love antiques and nature. My house is full of old things I've collected through the years. I also love collecting interesting things I find every so often on nature hikes. Every fall I collect acorns, nuts and pine cones. I noticed acorns have the same shape as a Kewpie doll head and with the right lighting I thought it would make an interesting composition.

There is a story behind this little bisque Kewpie doll called "Little Traveler." My husband found the 3 1/2 inch bisque doll buried in a construction site the first year of our marriage. Other than a few marks, it's in excellent condition. It is hard to believe this little figurine survived all these years buried underground in an ancient city dump along with cinders and antique bottles. Now it has an honored place on display in my china cabinet.

Self-Portrait

2010-02-21T12:54:00.016-06:00

"Self-Portrait"
6.5x8 oil on linen

This is my contribution to Alice Thompson's first challenge on her new blog, "Calypso Moon Artist Movement." She has invited fine artists to do a self-portrait using only one color of their choice along with black and white.

I have been thinking about doing a self-portrait and decided this would be a good time to try since I haven't done one in years.

I had no problem in deciding what color to choose since I have been using the Zorn palette lately and have been fascinated by the rich browns I can get with just Cadmium red light and Ivory black. Also when Ivory black, which is a cool color, is mixed with Titanium white it looks blue next to the warm red. In this portrait I was pleasantly surprised that I could get nice flesh tones with the three colors minus Yellow Ochre that I had been using in the Zorn palette.

Thank you Alice for coming up with this wonderful creative challenge and inviting other artists to participate.

Gesture Portrait Study III

2010-02-17T11:37:00.020-06:00

"Gesture Portrait Study"

7x10 oil on linen

I'm back to painting another gesture portrait from the Jeffery Watts DVD. I followed along as before but put more detail into the hat and clothes than Jeffery did in his demonstration. (He ends his demos switching to a palette knife, making flamboyant strokes with thick paint which is a little scary for me).

I used the Zorn palette again that I have fallen in love with. Check below in "Portrait Study II" about the colors and Anders Zorn. You can NOT mix mud with these four colors. It is a great way to study values and learn to draw with a brush according to Jeffery Watts.

I also must add that these gesture portraits are suppose to take only 30 minutes but I haven't come close to that. I do find painting this way does go a lot faster and I can do them in one sitting.

My Tribute to Karin Jurick

2010-02-13T10:57:00.021-06:00

"My Tribute to Karin Jurick"

oil on canvas

A couple years ago Karin Jurick created Different Strokes from Different Folks blog. Every three weeks she challenged artists to paint, draw or etch in their own way a photo she posted on her blog. Because of Karin's devotion to her blog and participating artists, she has helped connect artists from all over the world.

Jill Polsby, one of the 180 artists who participated in Karin's year-end Portrait Swap came up with a great idea. She asked fellow artist if they would like to paint a portrait of Karin as a way of thanking her for all her "wonderfully fun challenges." 118 artist accepted the offer and as a result, Jill printed all the portraits in book form to present to Karin as a gift.

You can see all the wonderful variations of Karin by fellow artists on Jill's photo page here. Be sure to stop by Jill's new blog where she has a link to Karin's You Tube montage of all 180 paintings in the 2009 Portrait Swap.

Gesture Portrait Study II

2010-02-08T12:30:00.016-06:00

"Gesture Portrait Study II"

7x9 oil on canvas

In this portrait study I worked with a limited palette of Cadmium Red light, Yellow Ochre, Ivory black and Titanium white, which is also called the Zorn palette named after the late Anders Zorn. Click on his name to see a gallery of his amazing work and learn more about this celebrated painter and print-maker.

I have a lot more to learn using the Zorn palette but so far I am surprised how many colors I got from just four tubes of paint! I realize now that I should have used more Yellow Ochre in the flesh tones.

I followed along with Jeffery Watt's demonstration using the same colors and subject he painted from and paused the DVD every so often to keep up. He shows a lot of color mixing on a glass palette with gray paper underneath. I tried the same thing and what a pleasure it is to mix oil paint on glass! Now I am sold on this kind of palette.

Update: Another thing I would like to share; I use a Masterson Sta-Wet Palette Seal that is a very durable 12 x 16 x 1-3/4 flexible plastic box with an airtight cover to keep my palette in. I was previously using a disposable paper palette that fits in the box. Now with glass cut the same size, it works out even better. I can also put the container in my freezer if I have unused paint. It will stay fresh for quite a few days.

Gesture Portrait Study

2010-02-02T18:25:00.012-06:00

"Gesture Portrait Study"
7x10 oil on canvas

I did this portrait in less than two hours. Usually it takes me three days of struggling away with details and ending up with an over-worked painting.

A couple weeks ago I discovered a great 5-hour DVD by Jeffery R. Watts demonstrating Gesture Portraits and decided to give it a try. He does nine portraits each taking only a half hour. I of course am slower and had to put the DVD on pause every so often but so far I'm very impressed with his teaching method. There is also a lot of teaching on palette colors on four different levels.

So this is my first gesture portrait. I followed along doing the same portrait he did using Burnt Umber and Titanium White. The eyes are a bit off but I sure had fun painting them in a loose style! Whether I can do a gestures portrait without following along with a master remains to be seen.

The Neighborhood

2010-01-31T08:14:00.013-06:00

"The Neighborhood" 5x7.5 oil on canvas
©2010 Carol Horzempa

Here in Wisconsin it's been so cold all week that I can walk on top of the snow without sinking in. Since I have been getting cabin fever lately I decided to paint the neighborhood with it's hard crusty snow piled up everywhere. This is the view I see from my back door.

In Memory of Holly

2010-01-27T14:39:00.010-06:00

"In Memory of Holly" 6x7 oil on canvas

This little Border Terrier will be truly missed by my sister. Below is a poem she has written that best described her little companion that kept her company for the past 10 years.

"Holly"

So cute you are little Border Terrier
Whether closely shorn or hairier
Rain, snow, sleet; no matter what pours
Kin from Northumberland's harsh shores

My life you fill with joy and hearty laughs
In the house; teasing, kissing, snuggling naps
Out the door; a wild predator, oh so fun
Chasing squirrels, rabbits, bugs in the sun

Roll over tricks for a doggie bone
You keep me young and not alone
You take me places I would never go
Dog companion, sniffing weeds, exploring a hole

For this little pet thank you God; I do
She depends on me for everything, and I on You

By Elaine Schneider

Great-Grandmother

2010-01-21T16:00:00.021-06:00

"Great-Grandmother"
12x14 Conte Crayon on paper

Thirteen years ago I did this portrait of my mother-in-law Estelle meeting her first great-grandchild, Casey Ray. It was a moment in time that I was able to capture with my camera and later as a drawing with Conte Crayon on Bienfang paper. Casey of course is a teenager now. You can see a painting of him titled "13" done by his mom (my daughter) on her blog.

Estelle is ninety-six years young now and is able to remain independent in her own home with the help of family members taking care of her needs.

This is going to be a busy year for me but I hope to focus on doing more portraits in the near future.

Portrait Study

2009-12-18T21:28:00.007-06:00

"Portrait Study" 7x7 oil on Masonite

This is my contribution to the year-end portrait swap on Karin Jurick's Different Strokes from Different Folks blog. Thanks to Karin Jurick this has been a great year of challenges for fellow artist.

I had a lot of fun with this challenge and tried not to labor over getting a perfect likeness. My main goal was to keep it fresh and try to capture this artist's spirit. This study was painted with Raw Sienna and a touch of Ultramarine Blue on a gessoed masonite panel.

I think I know who this artist is and had a great photo to work from. He will be doing my portrait in exchange and I can't wait to see it.

Going Forward

2009-11-15T15:51:00.027-06:00

I decided to take my time with Karin Jurick’s Different Strokes From Different Folks challenge. I focused on the perspective, values and painting “just what you see” like Karin suggested. I used just three colors, Winsor Newton Cadmium Red, Rembrandt Yellow Ochre Light and Ultramarine Deep, plus Utrecht Titanium White.

Using a ruler with a small brush and thin wash for the lines made it easier for me to get the figures drawn in the right places.

This was a slow process but with a lot of checking proportions, measuring one shape against another and correcting the values every so often, I was pleased to see that my figures started to look believable.

Someday I must make a goal for myself to do these challenges with less brushstrokes, limit my time spent and not get caught up in the detail. Aside from that I feel I learned a lot from this challenge and am quite pleased with my results. Be sure to check all the amazing submissions on the 52nd-54th week challenge on DSFDF blog.

Update: I've had this blog since the first of the year and participated in DSFDF challenges each month since. Thanks to the dedication of Karin Jurick and all her hard work on her DSFDF blog, she has made it possible for artists near and far to connect and be challenged.

It has been a humbling experience to receive so many encouraging comments on my work from artist whom I admire and respect. Thank you so much!

Ductwork Blues

2009-10-27T21:00:00.014-05:00

When I first saw Karin Jurick's posting of her photo of San Francisco rooftops for the DSFDF challenge I was intimidated by the jungle of rooftop ductwork. I'm glad I decided to try the challenge anyway. I found as I got into the painting that the abstract shapes and cast shadow along with pushing the colors kept my interest and was more fun to paint than I expected.

Pear Studies

2009-10-10T23:31:00.016-05:00

My favorite subject is the still life, especially studies of fruit. I've been away from my studio way too long so I decided to do a couple small studies of a pear. I find myself returning to fruit studies when I feel a bit rusty and need to get my creative juices flowing.

Trying to Paint Plein Aire

2009-09-24T16:11:00.013-05:00

Carrie, Shawna & Gypsy

My daughter Carrie and I went plain aire painting today. Now that the the fall colors are starting to show, it is a great time to find exciting landscapes. I am such a novice at this and thought an overcast day would be easier than trying to chase the light and shadow on a sunny day. Well my painting turned to mud but my daughter came away

with a beautiful painting! She is such a natural at this!

The day wasn't a complete waste for me, I found a great place to go mushrooming next fall and my spouse filled his trailer full of oak logs for burning this winter. So today was a great day!

My Mud Painting

I am surprised the colors look so drab now that I'm back in my studio. My main focus was to try and match the colors. I have much to learn about plein aire painting! Be sure to check Carrie's painting on her blog, her colors are awesome!

Wait, Hold the Sprinkles!

2009-09-10T04:57:00.033-05:00

I hate sprinkles! I can't think of anything worse than biting into a soft, delicious cupcake piled with sweet fluffy frosting and then biting into hard crunchy sprinkles to spoil the whole experience.

In Karin Jurick's DSFDF challenge she included a video of Wayne Thiebaud. I was fortunate enough to see a Thiebaud exhibit years ago and fell in love with his paintings of common foods and cityscapes. What an amazing artist, he is 87 years old and still paints every day!

In this challenge I used Classic Artist Oils that has linseed oil mixed in with thickeners which has the consistency of butter. I've only used these paints once before years ago and thought it would be perfect for this challenge especially the frosting. I ended up using my palette knife and applying the paint like I would as if frosting a cupcake along with some brushwork. I was almost tempted to lick my fingers.

Bay Furnace Beach

2009-08-31T22:34:00.014-05:00

Earlier this month I went camping with my family on Lake Superior near Pictured Rocks in Upper Michigan. We were lucky enough get a lakefront campsite at Bay Furnace National Forest Campground. This is a painting of the shoreline in front of our campsite on a foggy morning. I hope to post a better photo of this painting soon since the colors are a bit off.

Walkin' the Dog

2009-08-11T13:17:00.026-05:00

This is my interpretation of Karin Jurick’s DSFDF challenge. I took the liberty of cropping Karin’s reference photo again. I added the girl who is supposed to be me (like about 20 years younger) walking Shawna.

I experimented with a textured surface made from priming a canvas panel with Utrecht Oil Priming White. I love this surface to paint on since it doesn’t absorb the paint like water base gesso does and I like how my brush glides across the oil base surface making it easier to control. I am also pleased with the fact that my paint stayed fresh and didn’t become dull as it dried.

Georgia Man

2009-07-17T00:39:00.029-05:00

"Georgia Man" 5.5x7 oil on canvas

In Karin Jurick’s latest DSFDF challenge, she posted a reference photo of a man at the Perry, Georgia State Fair. I chose to crop the photo to what interested me the most and also decided to set a limit on my painting time. Testing myself to see how fast I could paint this challenge, I surprised myself by finishing this portrait in 2 1/2 hours. I have a habit of measuring distance between shapes with the handle of my paintbrush and thumb which really speeds the process and something Karin suggested on this challenge.

I painted over a bright orange acrylic undertone, which can be seen poking through throughout the painting. I used a touch of my favorite Rembrandt Transparent Oxide Red in the skin tones along with a mixture of Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow Medium, and Cobalt Blue plus Titanium White.

There are several things I could have changed to get it “just right” but this time I decided to leave it and shoot for speed and fresh brushstrokes. I think this was the most fun I had of all Karin's challenges!

UPDATE: I just reread Karin's instructions and realize the focus of this challenge was suppose to be on the whole figure...oops!

Day Watch

2009-07-07T18:37:00.036-05:00

This is my submission for the DSFDF challenge. Karin Jurick posted a reference photo of what seems to be a lifeguard on duty in a rowboat on a Lake Michigan beach.

This was by far the hardest challenge for me so far. I enjoyed painting the figure and boat but the water, which I thought would be the easiest part turned out to be my biggest challenge. I learned a lot though and would like to try painting a boat scene again.

Gatekeeper

2009-06-26T14:47:00.013-05:00

Gatekeeper

oil on canvas 6x6

I planted these peonies next to my gate years ago for the main purpose of painting them someday. They don’t get much sun so they are very tall reaching every which way for the sun and practically blocking entrance to the gate. I am sure glad I took photos of them before a hailstorm. Now with the sweltering heat the poor things are faded and drooping over.

I made one attempt years ago to paint these flowers and so this is my second try. I think painting flowers has got to be the biggest challenge for me so far but I did enjoy painting the pickets on the gate.

After spending way to much time on this one, I kept wondering if it pays to work on a painting that seems doomed for the reject pile. This morning I decided to give it one more try with a fresh eye. I realized it only need a little tweaking and then called it finished. I’m hoping that I can apply what I learned and paint more someday.

Vegetable Medley

2009-06-17T00:11:00.014-05:00

oil on canvas 6x8

This painting is my interpretation of Karin Jurick’s reference photo for the DSFDF challenge. I haven’t been working in oils for several months since I got sidetracked with pastels. It was hard getting back to oil painting and after several tries I decided to try again on canvas instead of a gessoed panel. I also was surprised to find that I didn’t forget how to paint and actually enjoyed this challenge!

Pennsylvania Landscape

2009-06-03T14:11:00.016-05:00

pastel on sabretooth sandpaper
9x5

I can’t believe I’m still doing pastels! For days I kept seeing Karin Jurick’s black and white photo of a Pennsylvania landscape in colorful pastels. I found an old sheet of sandpaper for pastels that was laying in a drawer for at least 15 years so I decided to put it to good use. I also took liberty in cropping the photo drastically so I could concentrate on the trees and fields.

For Karin's DSFDF Challenge I understand we were to “invent colors” and “pay attention to how those colors marry with each other.” After poring over my favorite Kevin Macpherson’s book on Landscape Painting – Inside & Out, I found myself using colors I never would have considered. After I had the values down I put the book and photo away.

I really had fun inventing colors and drawing on my memory of Wisconsin landscapes I see so often while driving through the countryside. Even though my colors are not characteristic of Pennsylvania farmland and look more like the southwest I feel I learned a lot from this challenge.

Morning Rush Hour

2009-05-20T18:50:00.012-05:00

pastel on paper
7.5x10.5

I decided to do Karin Jurick's latest DSFDF challenge in soft pastel on Canson MI-Teintes pastel paper. Cityscapes are a real stretch for me, especially doing tall buildings in soft pastel. I almost gave up until I started working on the traffic and taxis...my first attempt at drawing cars. I tried to get the feeling of depth with my values. I had a little fun with the people mixed in with traffic and all the spots of color and shapes fading off into the distant.

I used pastel pencils for some of the detail and Rembrandt and Schmincke soft pastels for every thing else. I will definitely be looking forward to getting back to oils in my next challenge!

Diana's Love for Her Hound

2009-04-27T18:04:00.050-05:00

This is my submission for Karin Jurick’s DSFDF Challenge. We were asked to draw or paint an entire marble sculpture of goddess Diana and her hound. I decided to put away my paints for a while and work on my drawing skills. Karin suggested taking our time working on the three dimensional qualities, details, weight and elegance of the sculpture. My focus was also to capture Diana's loving gaze at her hound as he licked her thigh.

After reams of practice drawings with vine charcoal, one even upside down and backwards, I finally felt confident enough for the final drawing without having to use a grid. The drawing was sketchy so I could correct as I went along, while continuing to work on values, form, and edges at the same time.

I decided to do my drawing on Canson Mi-Teintes pastel paper using the smooth side. I used Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencils that are soft enough for glazing and firm enough to sharpen in an electric pencil sharpener to keep their points sharp for detail.

My experience of working in hard and soft pastel years ago while studying under the guidance of the late James C. Prohl, classical realist painter and teacher has been a big help in this challenge. I never thought I could go back to doing such detailed work again or even have the patience. Thanks to Karin Jurick, she has again come up with a great challenge that stretches my skill further than I thought I could go. Be sure too check the Different Strokes from Different Folks blog for the many wonderful versions of Diana and her hound.

Drawing of Cole

2009-04-17T08:03:00.010-05:00

Graphite on Strathmore paper (4x5)

Last night I decided to see how long it would take to draw this darling boy named Cole. I used the photo from James Parker's "Window to the Words" blog. Check his blog here, he posted this one on the first of the month and artists have the whole month to submit a painting or drawing. I'm not sure yet if I will work this up into a painting and submit it to his blog...I just wanted to test myself to see how long it would take me to draw it.

I am realizing now why it takes me so long to paint. Not only is it a challenge for me to mix the right colors as I start a painting but getting a good drawing down with correct proportions is important too. The only way I can achieve this is to draw daily even if it's only a 5 minute sketch. It took me over an hour to do this...I hope I can speed up and improve more on my proportions as I keep drawing daily.

Back to Drawing

2009-04-15T13:50:00.013-05:00

I decided to take the advice Karen Jurick gave on her Different Strokes from Different Folks blog. She said, “For anyone out there who wants to to be a better painter - it has to start with being a good drawer.” So that is what I have been doing...struggling with my drawing of a marble sculpture and sketching whenever I can.

These sketches were done in my Strathmore 6.25 x 8.5 sketchpad. I used PITT Graphite Pure pencils by Faber-Castell. I really love these pencils because they are solid graphite, no wood but they can break if you drop them on a hard surface. You can get some nice darks with the 2 and 3 B but I used mostly the HB on these two sketches. This is a good time of the year to draw trees here in Wisconsin, they are just starting to bud.The 2nd sketch is Dick, my better half who is always a willing subject while watching cable news in the evening.

A Passion for Painting Award

2009-04-12T10:02:00.005-05:00

Now that I’m back from Florida’s sun and sandy beaches, I’m ready to start painting again. First though I want to thank Ann Marie Propts who passed this “Passion for Painting Award” on to me while I was gone. Ann Marie has some wonderful paintings of pets, people and cityscapes that are fresh and alive with color so be sure to check them out on her blog and also her latest submission to DSFDF.

Rules are as follows:

List seven things that you love
Put a link to the artist who tagged you for this honor
Pass the honor on to seven artists you feel should receive the recognition
Let them know they received this award

Seven things I LOVE (in no particular order)

- Four legged pals; Kiki, Dorie, & Shawna
- Two legged ones; spouse, kids, grandkids & my sibs of course
- Wisconsin Swiss Cheese (okay, so I’m a cheese head)
- My pochade box (skillfully crafted by spouse)
- Painting and thinking about painting
- Swimming in Lake Superior on hot summer days
- Omanhene Hot Cocoa on cold winter nights

Here is my list of artists I follow that have been a real source of inspiration to me in their work habits, level of skill and passion they show in their paintings.

Frank A. Edwards
Holly Zemak
Becky Joy
Cathleen Rehfeld
Dana Cooper
Todd Smith
Charlene Brown

Sandpiper Watching

2009-03-25T20:01:00.011-05:00

I'm in the middle of packing for a vacation down south to Florida. I decided to take time out and see if I could do a seascape from Karin Juirick's photo in the DSFDF Challenge. This is a bit of a stretch for me since I rarely paint figures in my oil paintings or the seashore. Now I can’t wait to do some plain air painting down in the Florida Keys.

This the most fun I had in Karin’s challenge because I loved painting with a beautiful tube of Winsor & Newton Manganese Blue Hue oil paint which hadn't been opened in years. I also realized that the little girl who I made to look younger started looking more and more like my daughter Carrie when she was a child.

Now back to packing for a couple weeks of lying on the beach in the sun and a littler sandpiper watching after a long cold winter. Maybe I will even get a chance to paint some seascapes!

Tracy's Tipi

2009-03-23T14:04:00.014-05:00

Last week I went plein air painting again at Kettle Moraine State Forest. While walking along the fence I was surprised to see a huge tipi in a clearing on the other side of the fence. I decided right then to sit down with my pochade box and paint what I saw. I didn’t have a clear view since there were so many bushes and I also had to look through the fence but could see good enough to capture the scene.

When I was halfway through my painting a very friendly woman named Tracy who owns the property came over to see what I was doing. She invited me to see her tipi closeup and walk inside to see the fire ring. She also said I could come back and paint on her property. I am really looking forward to painting when her apple orchard starts blooming.

I finished this painting in my studio from a photo and probably spent way too much time on it. My next challenge is to look for a simple scene that I can finish on location. I hope to do that while on a camping trip in Florida during the first two weeks of April.

That Darn Cat!

2009-03-17T08:58:00.015-05:00

This is my contribution to Karin Jurick’s DSFDF Challenge. Sometimes I like to tell a story with my paintings. Karin strongly suggested that we follow our intuitions on this challenge so I allowed my illustration background to come though on this project.

This is what I imagine would happen if I put a dish of sushi with crabmeat and soy sauce on my kitchen counter. My "counter kitty" Dorie loves anything with fish and I recently found out she likes soy sauce too.

The hardest thing to paint was her tongue licking up soy sauce and getting the right color. I found an old tube of Rose Madder made just the right pink I was looking for. Now I think it would be fun to paint Dorie licking up milk.

Ottawa Dog Trail

2009-03-05T06:51:00.012-06:00

The weather was nice enough to do some Plein Air Painting yesterday. Being a novice at this I forgot to take off my sunglasses and didn’t notice it until I was almost done. I decided to keep painting that way and see what it will look like later. At least it was easier on the eyes this way. I was surprised the colors looked alright when I got back to my studio. I was also surprised I was able to paint a landscape in an hour with just a bit of touch up from my photo. What a difference to paint from real life rather than just a photo!
Oil on canvas 6x8

Ottawa Dog Trail is a huge dog training area for hunters in Kettle Moraine State Forest. Yesterday there were several horseback riders and hunters training their dogs. With the receding snow and warm temperature, it was a great day to be outdoors here in Wisconsin.

Main Street Wigs

2009-03-03T14:45:00.024-06:00

oil on canvas 6x7.5

This is my contribution to this weeks Different Strokes from Different Folks challenge. Karin Jurick submitted a photo for artist to paint their interpretation of an array of mannequins wearing wigs. I was really intimidated by so many mannequins at first and almost decided to skip this challenge. Then I was inspired by a little shop with a colorful awning on Main St. in Waukesha Wisconsin and decided to incorporate the mannequins in the shop window. As I got further along I was wishing I had planned a larger format so I could paint more details of the mannequins. This ended up being a really fun project to work on. Thanks again to Karin Jurick for all her hard work and dedication even during a frustrating eight days of being without the Internet.

I had a problem getting the colors in the photo of my painting close to the original painting but thanks to my daughter Carrie Griesmer she did a nice job of color correcting. It is very close to a perfect likeness of my painting. Check her blog, she has "how to" instructions on correcting photos in Adobe Photoshop.

Blue Day

2009-02-26T23:19:00.004-06:00

Shawna broke her dewclaw after running through some brush last week. After a trip to the vet she had to spend the rest of the day laid up with a bandage on her leg. She looked so cute with her blue bandage and so sad I had to take a photo of her and tried to capture the moment in my painting.

Winter Run

2009-02-19T21:00:00.008-06:00

oil on canvas
6x8

I never painted a dog so small before. I had to paint Shawna’s face with a small palette knife to keep from doing too much detail. I always wanted to paint her running through the woods in the snow, something she does everyday. That is her favorite thing to do especially in the winter. I’m looking forward to painting a larger image of Shawna in the future.

painting in progress

2009-02-15T23:22:00.012-06:00

It's still too cold to paint outdoors so I used a photo of my dog Shawna running in the snow. This was taken last week at Kettle Moraine State Forest, not far from where I live. I hope to finish this tomorrow if I get the chance. I will be back out in the forest tomorrow taking more pictures of Shawna. Maybe it will be warm enough to paint out there too!

Winter, Garden Shed

2009-02-10T17:54:00.002-06:00

Signs of spring are here! The snow started melting the next day so I had to finish my snow scene in the studio from a photo. I had trouble photographing the painting because of so much white in it. This was the best I could do. I will try posting a better photo when I figure out my new camera.

Plein Air Painting

2009-02-06T21:26:00.000-06:00

Adebanji Alade has inspired me to try Plein Air painting in the winter. The temperature was up to 41 degrees and sunny today. I was surprised I didn’t need gloves.

I’m a very slow painter and with the sun moving it was a real challenge for me. I could have picked an easier subject but decided to be comfortable and sit in the swing in my backyard and paint what ever looked interesting.

I forgot to squint my eyes to block out detail through three fourths of the way. I left my small brushes in the studio and found using large and medium forced me to focus on the masses. After a little over an hour the shadows changed too much to continue and my feet needed warming so I called it a day. I took a photo before I started so I can finish it in the studio or paint on location tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

I saw flocks of geese flying north so maybe this is a good sign that spring is coming! I think I could become addicted to Plein Air painting even if my results aren’t that great yet.

Abandoned Farm

2009-02-05T22:09:00.001-06:00

I took a photo of this farm near Black River Falls, Wisconsin in early April a few years ago. I was attracted by the monotone colors of an overcast day during the dormant season.

I started out with the idea that I would only use large brushes on this painting in hopes of painting nothing but loose brushstrokes. I got so intrigued with the barn and fence that I couldn’t help but paint all the detail.

Tomorrow is going to be a warm day in Wisconsin, almost 38 degrees so I will try my luck at plein air painting and only bring large brushes, Ok maybe one sort of smallish medium brush. By the way, this painting is 5x7. I still haven't figured out how to put the size under my paintings.

San Francisco Victorian

2009-02-03T00:51:00.002-06:00

This is my submission for Karin Jurick’s DSFDF Challenge. What a challenge this was, but I did have fun painting the sky and windows. I might try painting architecture again but not three story buildings.

Blue Highway

2009-01-27T15:06:00.003-06:00

This is a landscape I did a while ago in Shelby Keefe's workshop. I forgot to bring a photo to paint from that day so she let me use one of hers. I first painted an orange and blue under painting in acrylic then the rest in oil. The painting is only 9X12 so I was able to finish it in one day.

I've Been Tagged!

2009-01-26T14:53:00.000-06:00

A very talented artist by the name of Dominique Eichi tagged me. Be sure to check her blogg and wonderful sketches and paintings

So here’s how tagging works. I’m supposed to tell seven unusual things about myself and that is not easy since I lived a pretty normal life so far. This is a nice way to get to know other bloggers. These are the rules of the game:

1. Put a link in your posting to the person who tagged you.
2. List seven unusual/interesting things about yourself.
3. Tag seven other bloggers at the end of your post and comment on their blogs to let them know they have been tagged.

Here is my list of seven things about me. They are not that unusual but I hope halfway interesting:

1. I taught an 80-year-old blind man how to paint. He painted fearlessly and became a local celebrity before he died.

2. I shudder when I look at a white canvas…..once I get color on it I’m Ok.

3. When my children were little they colored in coloring books I illustrated for Western Publishing Company.

4. Every spring my husband and I load up our camper with my painting supplies, the dog and etc. and take a scenic drive down the Natchez Trace.

5. My daughter and I took a weeklong workshop in Taos, New Mexico taught by Laura Robb.

6. I spend way too much time thinking about painting and NOT painting

7. I have a lot of close-up photos of Barack Obama from a campaign rally…...perfect for future portraits, I hope.

8. My daughter Carrie Griesemer helped me set up this blog and corrected my photos in Photoshop, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do all this without her knowledge and expertise.

oops! I just realized I have eight! I can't decide which one to delete so I will have to bore you with eight usual things about myself.

I am tagging these seven wonderful artist that keep inspiring me:

Carrie Griesemer
Tom Pohlman
Qiang Huang
Edward Burton
Karin Jurick
Robin Peterson
Carol Marine

Garlic & Asparagus

2009-01-23T12:43:00.002-06:00

I was asked by Candy Barr to post more of my work on my blog, even some from the “olden days.” I need to photograph some of my older works but here is one I did last spring. This is a study of a still life I had set up in my studio under controlled light.

Listening to Jefferson

2009-01-18T20:19:00.002-06:00

This is my submission for Karin Jurick’s photo of the Jefferson Memorial in the DSFDF challenge. I took liberty in cropping the photo to an extreme. The photo was so fuzzy after enlarging this one little area that the streetlight looked more like a moon over the horizon. The crooked tree leaning toward the Jefferson Monument and the bright streetlight illuminating the area really intrigued me. I especially enjoyed painting this night scene because I was able to use an old tube of Indigo Blue I never used before and discovered it is a good color for painting dark areas and mixing grays.

Shawna

2009-01-08T22:55:00.001-06:00

This painting was my first submission for Karin Jurick's biweekly challenge on Different Strokes from Different Folks Dec. 3, 2008. In this challenge we were asked to paint our interpretation of a photo of Karin's work boots. I wasn't planning to enter the challenge but I kept seeing a painting of my Gordon Setter Shawna curled up next to Karin's boots. I barely finished my painting before the deadline. Since then I decided it needed to be developed further so I included more of Shawna in the painting as you can see.

This sweetheart of a dog was rescued from a shelter and was only hours from being put down. Shawna was a year old when we adopted her and has been part of our family for 8 years. She still looks and acts like a pup except for her graying muzzle, which I love to paint. You will be seeing more of her I’m sure, since she is a great model in front of my camera.

Portrait of Vicki

2009-01-05T20:01:00.002-06:00

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This is my portrait for Karin Jurick's portrait swap challenge Different Strokes for Different Folks. We were paired with other artists to paint each other's portrait from a photo. Check out Karin's blog to view all of the "challenge" paintings.