Zoning Out

"Zoning Out"

6x8 oil on gessoed panel 

NFS

Another painting of Shawna, this time using my right hand most of the time. In this portrait I focused on the values and tried to capture the way my sweet old dog looks just before falling asleep. I decided to submit this to last weeks "Lying Down Challenge" posted on The Daily Paintworks by Carol Carmichael. Carol challenged fellow artists to paint someone or something in the state of repose. 

Meat & Veggies

Meat & Veggies

oil on canvas 5x7

Sarah Sedwick of Daily Paintworks challenged artist to paint raw meat. I found this subject very challenging at first. Once I figured out the colors for raw meat I found it quite enjoyable to paint. Thanks for this great challenge, Sarah!

Old Sailor

"Old Sailor"

oil on canas

Carol Horzempa

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.

Waiting

"Waiting"

oil on canvas 8x8
 Carol Horzempa

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 trying 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! 

These Boots Are Made For Walking

"These Boots Are Made For Walking"

6x6 oil on canvas
Carol Horzempa

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.

Mini Pumpkins on Red

Mini Pumpkin on Red

6x6 oil on canvas

Carol Horzempa

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!

No Makeup Please!

No Makeup Please!

oil on canvas 6x4.5

© 2011 Carol Horzempa

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. 

Geranium Study

"Geranium Study"

6x6 oil on canvas
Carol Horzempa

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.

Okruszek

"Okruszek"

oil on canvas 6x6
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

Blue Day
oil on canvas 6x6
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

"Waiting"

on canvas 6x6
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

"Gatekeeper"

oil on canvas 5.5 x 6.75
with solid cherry wood frame
Sold

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.

Sweet Bell

"Sweet Bell"
6x5 oil on canvas
Carol Horzempa

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.

Red Rose Waiting

Red Rose Waiting
6x8 oil on canvas
Carol Horzempa

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.