DaVinci

DaVinci, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on suede
actual size 16"X20"
private collection

This is my very latest... one of my last on suede... I hope... but it did come out really well and was not too much of a labor.... I am thinking that there will always be some subjects that will do well on this surface... those that are not too dark and not too light. Also this is a very beautiful horse... never hard to do these! It is a surprise birthday present for a friend... he had been hinting to his partner about having this horse done by me and exactly how it would look best! I was very happy to oblige!

Rusty&Vivi

Rusty&Vivi, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Here is my latest pastel... done on suede mat board. I have a few that are already drawn on the suede, so I can't switch over to the Wallis sanded paper just yet. But it was a little hard going back to the suede after working on the Wallis sanded paper. I kept thinking about how much fun it had been to work on the Wallis as I was working on this one... luckily these subjects were not a problem to do on the mat board. I do have a horse portrait already started, that I think I am going to start over on the Wallis. The horse is a dark bay and I am doing the full body... hard to get the detail and richness in the coat with the suede. I am ordering some larger sheets and am going to try the museum quality Wallis. They say you can actually scrub this paper!! Sorry that it does not come in the "belgium mist" color... but this next one will have a back ground any way. I am looking forward to doing more under painting on those! Also the paper comes in different sizes than I have been doing the last 20 years!! Going to have to re-do the price sheet!

Junior & Taco

Junior & Taco, originally uploaded by debifitz.

This is the pastel I did for a project that is very dear to my heart... and kind of my brain child! My two dear friends Ron Danta and Danny Robertshaw have this amazing charity or maybe it is more of a calling... but they rescue unwanted, forgotten, and abandoned dogs. They have always been the ones that would pull over on the interstate to pick up some poor dog running loose. They bring them into their own home, use their own money and clean them up and fix whatever needs fixing. Then they either live with them for the rest of their lives or they find wonderful homes. They really kicked it into gear after Katrina. To date they have found homes for over 2000 dogs! They were honored by the ASPCA a few years ago for this achievement. A few years ago they started doing a calendar using photos of 12 of the lucky dogs. I was asked to do one of my "quick" watercolor/gouaches for the cover.... They (bless their hearts!) think I just whip them out!! HA! This last one took about 4 very long days! (the previous blog entry is the most recent calendar cover) But this year my brain child was to bring together 12 artists to do portraits of this years 12 lucky dogs and make it an art calendar as well. It should be coming out the middle of november. We started it off pretty late... had some problems getting good photos. But I think it is going to be great. Next year I hope to get a much more varied group of artists, do it earlier, and have the art displayed in a gallery... just have to find the right gallery. Ron and Danny are horse trainers (hunter/jumper) and the event would have to be done around a horse show. I will keep every one posted!

AND this is my first attempt on Wallis paper! I loved it!!!!! I have really been getting tired of the velour surface... having problems with the darker colors and losing some of the richness of the others. I also love the idea of doing some mixed media on it. Just hope the clients love it as much as I do!

DannyAndRon'sRescue Calendar

DannyAndRon'sRescue Calendar, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Gouache on clay board
actual size 16"X20"

This is the cover for the calendar.... I was going for a "where's Waldo" kind of thing... lots of dogs filling up the picture... But after about 50 dogs I had to call it quits! The calendar is for their dog rescue charity... they have rescued and found homes for over 2000 dogs to date! The inside of this years calendar has 12 artists (including me!) doing a portrait of 12 lucky dogs... one for each month. It should be coming out the middle of november.

This is the first time I have done gouache on clay board... it had its pros and cons. It is real easy to lift "bad decisions" off... but on the other hand it is really easy to "accidentally" lift something "brilliant" off! Of course it is always "brilliant" when you accidentally lift it off! The pencil drawing did not smear off as I was working ( a plus) But I also had problems getting rid of pencil marks that were showing thru the gouache. I definitely had to develop a "touch" with the paint brush on this surface. But once I got the hang of the clay board, it went pretty well.

Joe&Fred finished... almost!

Joe&Fred finished... almost!, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Alrighty then! I would say this is about 98% done! I really don't think I am ever done with my work... I can always find something I want to change. I want to touch up Joe's hair line just a tad and work on his hands a little bit more. Maybe a couple more tiny things in the back ground.... I can do this forever! Luckily, the client is having me do the framing for her. So it is here waiting for the frame to come in. I am really so pleased with the way this one turned out!