Bill and Royal Delta finished......

Well,  obviously, I have finished Bill Mott and Royal Delta!  Bad blogger!!! 

I figured I would just post the rest of the progression and then move on!  The last photo is a pic of how I use my iPad for working.  I found a great armature on line for less than $75.00 that has been wonderful.  Sometimes the glare on the iPad bothers me, mostly when working on dark subjects.  The arm does swivel so I can position it for the least amount of glare. But I have also gone back to using photos for working on faces. And I do love being able to blow up portions of the photo to get the details.  I also installed photoshop on my iPad so manipulation of color and light/dark is easy without having to run back to my desktop.  I have seen a few artists online that have mounted a spare monitor to the wall close to their easel that looks great... I would have to rearrange my studio to utilize the one small wall to do the mounting... I have floor to ceiling glass windows on 3 sides of the studio, which I adore for the light and view of the outside world... but not great for mounting monitors! The other wall has french doors and a stone wall from the fireplace.... there is about 5 feet of wall in between! But something to think about!

 Sorry I have been away for so long... been a trying year! Besides my mother being in long term nursing care here,  I was in a car accident which totaled my car...   Not hurt, but banged up and shook up! Had to deal with insurance companies and getting a new car....  :/   And my husband is planning on retirement in October!  Sort of dreading that! Its like D-day!! Invasion of the husband!  I work out of the home and it is going to be very interesting when that happens!  I maybe on here venting soon!

Petey #5

Petey #5, originally uploaded by debifitz.

So sorry I have been bad about posting!!!! I can not believe that September is almost gone... my mind is still in August! Which between that month and February... can't decide which I dislike more! I am also doing my taxes :/ I have always filed in Oct... nothing like waiting to the last minute! Especially when you LOVE doing them (NOT!) I will try to get the rest of poor Petey's pics up soon!! He will be getting a complex from only being half complete for so long!!

Petey #4

Petey #4, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Working left to right... top to bottom. Usually I do this pose vertically, but the client wants it for a space over her fire place where a vertical will not fit. This background however becomes a subject in itself and makes up for it! I have been taking my time with it because the client is extremely particular about everything!! Do not want it coming back for touch ups!

I have also been working on the 2014 calendar cover for Danny and Ron's Rescue. The iPad and it's brilliant new Spider Arm has come in quite handy. I took some photos of it in action.... I can't show the calendar cover until the first of Oct... when it comes out! But you get a little sneak peek here! Also a glimpse into my studio...

Petey #3

Petey #3, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Sorry I have not been on in a while... I just acquired an iPad!!! Been pining for one for a while now... to use in art work of course!! NO really! I have seen that a lot of artist are using them in place of photos for reference. I have started having issues with the co that does my printing. The photos always come out darker than what I am uploading from my computer. And my home printer's color is off. Not to mention, I was seeing the possibilities of using the iPad on the road as a portfolio and to show clients the photos that I take. I have a lap top that I have been using for a while now and I am worried about it dying on me. This way I have a back up for that also. But every time I save a few pennies, something comes up and empties the piggy bank! Well... Danny and Ron's Rescue to the rescue!! I got the most wonderful care package from them in the mail the end of last week.... an iPad 4!!! So I have been playing around with it all week. And I have started using it on their 2014 calendar cover that I am working on at the moment. I ordered an iPad armature for my work space... so that I do not have to hold it while I work. Got that yesterday and it is working beautifully! You should have seen what I rigged up while waiting for it to arrive!! I will post a pic of the new set up soon! Still getting used to the retina display instead of a photo. I will probably use both. But it is great for getting close ups for detail like hands and feet!

Back to Petey!! I do love the way this bg has turned out! In reality, the horse could not be standing on flat ground... there is a steep hill going up to the client's barn and home.  The client asked me to make it more realistic by changing the perspective of the ponds and fencing. That would have bunched them all up in the bottom third of the portrait. But compositionally, I like the way the fencing and ponds break up the piece horizontally. Petey and the pine tree are such strong vertical elements. And then I love the diagonal lines from the tree shadows soften it all.  I think this is one of my best back grounds!

Deya & Majee

Deya & Majee, originally uploaded by debifitz.

16"X20" pastel on PastelMat

This is a cute one I did not too long ago... I ended up doing back ground similar to a portrait I did of a springer spaniel last year.... the leaves became more pattern than realistic. I like this affect for small portraits. And believe it or not it is a little easier. I took the stepping stones from that portrait as well. I had the little dogs sitting on a outdoor table in their photographs... helps to keep the little guys from running around! And I do not have to lay down on the ground to take their pics!!

Char with Rita,Bruiser,Doc,&Ellie

Char with Rita,Bruiser,Doc,&Ellie, originally uploaded by debifitz.

I am sort of jumping right to the end of this one! The rock was a lot of "busy" work but it allowed me to use most of the colors that I have been working with in the subjects. Even a little of the greens from the back ground. Helps to tie the whole painting together. The dogs were easy but small... always filing down the pastels to sharp edges to get those little details in. Char's boots came out nicely also... I try to keep all those scuffs and scratches in there. Some people want me to make everything perfect... but I have had clients come up to me long after the portraits are done and hung on the walls to tell me that is one of their favorite parts... they KNOW that those are their boots! All those scuffs and scotches tell a story all their own!

MaryClara & Scout #9

MaryClara & Scout #9, originally uploaded by debifitz.

pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"

www.djfitzgerald.com
www.facebook.com/D.J.Fitzgerald.Art

All done! I am just so happy with the way this one came together. I love how I could repeat the colors from the back ground to the subjects and fore ground. I think that this is the sort of thing that no one really notices, but makes a big difference in the final piece. For instance... the purple grays from the spanish moss in the trees are also in Scout and Emma's chest. Also some purples are in MaryClara's jeans. And then I also have some of the blues from her jeans repeated in the grass. When I am working I leave all the pastels that I have used in the back ground in a wooden tray so that I can keep track of the colors. When I am finished with a piece, I always try to put all my pastels away. They are stored in an antique printers cabinet... each color has its own drawer.  When I start on a new piece, I can start fresh and do not have to hunt for specific colors. Also give me a chance to sweep up the dust... to make room for a new set of dust!

Lily

Lily

Lily, originally uploaded by debifitz.

This is the photograph for my next pastel. It is the second time I have done this mare... the first was for this client's mother. She is rather special... especially to them! The plan is to do a more detailed progression. But I do have some time constraints... I need to get this done so that I can personally deliver it on my trip the end of this week... We shall see about that. I think this one is going to take a while.  It was requested that I do more progression photos of the back ground process... I have 4! The bg that I am using for this piece is not the one behind the horse. I chose to do another one from the same farm. A little more picturesque and with more depth.

Lily #1
pastel on PastelMat
private collection
19"X26"
I have started by placing where I want the trees and the darker areas. I try to work from left to right and from back ground  to foreground.  I use this hatching technique that helps to set the bg apart from the subject.  Although I do a hatching on the subject also, in the bg I will be a little loser, more impressionistic.  The idea is to have the back ground    enhance the subjects.

Danny & Ron's Rescue 2013

Danny & Ron's Rescue 2013, originally uploaded by debifitz.

That time of year again! Here is my latest piece for two of my favorite friends Ron Danta and Danny Robertshaw. They have set up this amazing dog rescue project... Since hurricane Katrina, they have placed 5,000 (!!!) dogs and a few cats! They have even rescued a donkey and a llama! The cow in this piece is Lorena... one of their many pets! I could not find a good photo of a llama... was afraid it would come out looking like a big shaggy dog!! This is the 4th calendar cover I have done for them...it is such an honor! The calendar is a great fund raiser. Each month is a dog that has been rescued... photo with a brief story. The calendar has just gone to press and will be available the first of October.

Their website is... www.dannyandronsrescue.com

Next year we are going to be doing them on their pontoon down in Wellington, Florida... their winter home! Should be fun! I always have a great time taking the photos for these projects! This last photo session we did in Camden, S.C.... their home base.  I spent two days with them... always an adventure!  They have at least 20 to 30 dogs that live with them in their home!!!  About 10 are permanent residents. The others are just there until they are adopted.  Lots of barking... but amazingly no fights!  They are trying to see just how each dog reacts to other dogs, people, children, cats and horses.  That way they find the best match for their forever homes. They micro chip each dog and have a contract signed so that they get the dogs back for whatever reason the match does not work out.  They are truly AMAZING people!  And I am so blessed to have them as such good friends!

Abe,Sara,&Clayton

Abe,Sara,&Clayton, originally uploaded by debifitz.

oil on canvas
private collection
28"X36"

www.djfitzgerald.com

This one was really a challenge and the reason I have not been blogging this summer! I have been working on this one forever it seems! The initial photos were taken 6 years ago! They finally decided what they wanted to do 2 years ago ... but they wanted a more recent photo of Sara. So I took a few head shots of her... at the correct angle with the right lighting etc... I have done this before, but for some reason this one was harder to make it work. Another thing... the initial photos were 35 mm and of the whole bodies.... so cropping down to the upper half left me little details in the photos.... I am so spoiled to digital! I still feel like I could work on it some more. But I have other clients that are getting impatient, not to mention some bills that would like to get paid! So I have to let it go.... I delivered it to its home yesterday and the client and subject were happy... She wants me to do a portrait of her son and another one of her two dogs! So all is good!

Will and Claire

pastel on Clairefontaine PastelMat

private collection

19"X26"

This is another pastel that I finished a couple of weeks ago.  I really enjoyed working on this background... sometimes I find that I spend more time on the backgrounds than the subjects!  But I loved playing with the colors in this one!  The only problem I had was that there was a small stump in the foreground that I had to take out... don't know why I did not notice it while taking the photos... actually I do... I am working so hard to get Claire to put her ears up that I did not notice the very small stump!  And it covered up her feet.  So I had to "fudge" a little!  That is a high tech art term btw!   But other than that, I am pleased!

Some good news today!  One of my portraits has been selected to be on the cover of the  American Veterinary Medical Association monthly journal!  Actually I forgot that I had submitted my work to them.  A good friend, who's husband is a vet, suggested that I submit my work... that was 2 years ago!  They try to use a wide variety of art work for their covers... both in subject matter and mediums.  AVMA has published some beautiful cover art.  I am happy to be in their gallery.  Such a nice surprise!  I will post the cover when it comes out in October.

Still working on the large oil painting....  hopefully I will be finished next week!