The Joy of Mistakes

I can't count how many of these racing pictures I've painted. To repeat is to fill a request. Because my summer stint at Saratoga Race Course has become integrated into my DNA, I aim to please those who enter my booth, hands on hips, inquiring: so, what's new?

Here's a recent piece:

Assistant Starters, 24"x36", oil on canvas. More info here.

It's interesting how these paintings look after they've been uploaded to the internet. I'm intentionally loosening my brushwork because it more effectively expresses the whole, yet the edges look razor-sharp when the size is decreased for browser viewing.

In the above detail, you can see the brushwork more clearly. In the last few years I've focused on putting down a brushstroke and leaving it alone, as opposed to the fussy back and forth fiddling we artists are all guilty of.

Another element about viewing a small image on the internet is how glaring mistakes become. When I'm close to completing a piece, I stand across the room to give it a good look, turn it upside down and view it through a mirror over my shoulder. I even turn it to face the wall so that I can see it with fresh eyes in a few days. I fix the parts that nag me, then repeat. When I'm feeling the piece is ready for signature, I declare it finished and leave it alone. After shooting it in RAW and converting it to a TIFF, it's still looking good. Sure enough, drop that baby down to a 500 pixel jpeg and it reverts back to beckoning for the brush again (to really ruin it)!

Three more:

Deep Shade, 11"x14", oil on canvas. More info here.

Warm Mist, 11"x14", oil on canvas. More info here.

Wary Hotwalker, 16"x20", oil on panel. More info here.

I recently read this quote on Facebook but there was no byline:
Go to your studio and make fantastic mistakes!
Sharon