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.

Early Morning at Bay Furnace

"Early Morning at Bay Furnace"
6x8 oil on canvas
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.

Bay Furnace Beach

"Furnace Bay" 
 4x7 oil canvas
Carol Horzempa

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.

Day Watch

"Day Watch" 
 6.5 x 9 oil on canvas
Carol Horzempa

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.

Sandpiper Watching

"Sandpiper Watching"

6x8 oil on wood panel

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!