Aiken Steeplechase #9

Aiken Steeplechase #9, originally uploaded by debifitz.

oil on canvas
artist collection
actual size 24"X30"

http://www.djfitzgerald.com

Worked on the background and grass in the foreground. I always work more on the backgrounds than anything else! Grass has always driven me crazy... it is almost like doing an abstract painting with in a realistic painting! I want it to look interesting up close as well as when you back up. So I play with color and brush strokes to make it more interesting... besides, the grass is more than just green! The dogwoods in the background are going to need more attention.... I don't want them to pop forward so much or to become flat. Also worked on the crowd and tents some. And the banner and brush box. In the photos the brush box is almost a black... I choose to make it a very dark green. I like the way the brush box looks. But I will still add a little more pain to it... make it a little richer... not so flat.

Aiken Steeplechase #8

Aiken Steeplechase #8, originally uploaded by debifitz.

oil on canvas
property of the artist
actual size 24"X30"

www.djfitzgerald.com


Yeah! All the first layer is on! Now to fix everything!!

Aiken Steeplechase #7

Aiken Steeplechase #7, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Oil on canvas
property of the artist
actual size 24"X30"

www.djfitzgerald.com

Getting there with the first layer... I am quite happy with the way it is coming along! Of course the last horse is going to be the most work... I really want him/her to stand out from the rest. Being a light gray, I figured would help... that and the hot pink jockey silks. The difficulty in painting gray horses, especially when they have the sun on them like this one, is that the shapes of those "hot" spots becomes all that more important. The dapples can really confuse you! So I have to pay a little more attention to this one... besides the fact that he/she is the focal point!

Aiken Steeplechase #6

Aiken Steeplechase #6, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Down to the last horse... of course it is the most important one! I want him to look like he is coming right at the viewer.

Aiken Steeplechase #5

Aiken Steeplechase #5, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Still working on the first layer of paint on the horses.....

Studio Project...

Studio018, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Thought I would mix it up and add another one of my favorite "studio inventions"! I always have tall stuff with no place of their own. Usually stuffed in corners or behind shelves. And they always want to fall out of their places. So, I came up with this idea... bought the biggest piece of pvc I could get at Lowes. Cut it into 3 pieces and put caps on the bottom. Bolted them together... and WALA.... I want to go to a plumbing supply store and get a bigger piece and do another one.

Aiken Steeplechase #4

Aiken Steeplechase #4, originally uploaded by debifitz.

This is the fun part... watching the horses emerge from the painting! It is coming right along now. One thing I wanted to bring up.... believe it or not, I do not use "brown" paint! I have gotten to where I love to make my browns out of oranges, purples and pinks. Some yellows too. I just get a richer color than using good old burnt umber. I started doing this when I got frustrated with the way burnt sienna and burnt umber dried... it never looked as good as when it was wet. And I rarely use black from a tube... for the same reason... looks flat when dry. Not to mention that there isn't that much in nature that is truely black. Depending on where it is going, I use a combination of paynes gray (I use a lot of Paynes gray!), and some sort of red... usually a mars red or violet. I also love brown madder aliz with paynes gray. I had a teacher once that recommended burnt sienna and prussian blue for a rich black. I just do a variation of that. You can get some really beautiful colors when you add a little pink or white to a mixed black. Makes my high lights more realistic. Basically I go back to the color wheels/charts I made back in college art school... they have really come in handy!