Self-Portrait

"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

"Gesture Portrait Study"

7x10 oil on linen
NFS

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

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 sketch 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

"Gesture Portrait Study II"

7x9 oil on canvas
NFS

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

"Gesture Portrait Study"
7x10 oil on canvas
NFS

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

"The Neighborhood" 
 5x7.5 oil on canvas
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

"In Memory of Holly"
6x7 oil on canvas

Carol Horzempa
NFS

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

"Great-Grandmother"
12x14 Conte Crayon on paper

Carol Horzempa
NFS

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

"Portrait Study"
7x7 oil on Masonite

Carol Horzempa

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

"Going Forward"
8x8 oil on Masonite
Carol Horzempa
NFS

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

"Ductwork Blues" 
 4.5x5 oil on Masonite
Carol Horzempa

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

"Pear Studies" 
4x8 oil on canvas
Carol Horzempa

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

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!

"Wait, Hold the Sprinkles!" 
5.5x10 oil on canvas
Carol Horzempa
NFS

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

"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.

Walkin' the Dog

"Walkin' the Dog" 
5.x7.25 oil on canvas
Carol Horzempa

NFS

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

"Georgia Man" 

6x8 oil on canvas

Carol Horzempa

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

"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.

Gatekeeper

"Gatekeeper"
oil on canvas
5.5X6.75
Sold

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

"Vegetable Medley" 
6x8 oil on canvas
NFS

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!