Grand Finale!!

Here are the photos of the final horse design. Now, off to the VIP preview party at Churchill Downs!

98% Complete

Well, here is a look at the Gallopalooza with only a few more details to add.




The rear back leg...



A blackberry, calculator, and a nicely filled money clip...



The vault door... and the saddle blanket (which will have a 1040 on one side and a bank check on the other)



The Monroe Shine starburst...



A detail photo of the $100 bill leggings...



A small coin-filled pocket sculpted onto the saddle...



The American Founders Bank eagle...



The horse's bit has a $1 dollar coin on each side...



Some tools of the trade sculpted onto the side of the saddle...

The Color Arrives...

The Gallopalooza begins to show some character as I airbrush the color on...

Everything Coming Together

Here are some pics during the process of creating and attaching the saddle blanket, saddle and the vault door elements:

Too Much Caffeine? No way...

Vault Door

Here are some elements getting ready to be attached to the Gallopalooza...

Chrome Coat

Here are some images of the Gallopalooza getting a nice shiny chrome base coat. One more coat will be put on before the color is applied in order to give the paint a layered look for more depth.

Primetime

Okay, that is the last lame post title, I promise.

Anyway, here are a few photos of the final coat of primer going on the Gallopalooza:

A Shoutout to my Wife

I just wanted to give a shoutout to my wonderful wife, Melissa! She has been a great little helper!

Mr. Sandman

A few little cracks were detected so I am sanding off the primer in the necessary spots so that the Bondo will stick nicely to the bare fiberglass. After the Bondo is placed with a putty knife, it will dry and have to be resanded. After that, the Gallopalooza will get a nice new primer coat and then we're ready to start adding some color!

P.s. look for some design concepts for the saddle to be up soon...

Tools of the Trade

Here are a few tools of the trade (and safety precautions) for working with a large fiberglass horse. If you're wondering, the respirator and gloves are necessary when sanding and cutting into the fiberglass - the fiberglass dust can be pretty hazardous stuff!

Bath Time

The first step in getting the horse paint-ready was giving the horse a bath. This step allowed the horse to get a nice facelift; it also gave me an opportunity to inspect the horse for any tiny cracks or holes where rain water would eventually seep into. The cracks will be filled with Bondo (the same stuff used to do car repairs) and will then be sanded down.

A Safe Journey...

Well, the Gallopalooza's journey to Lexington went quite well... despite the fact that I chose the windiest day of the month to make the trip. The horse's hooves were bolted down to my trailer so he made the trip standing up. I received more than a few funny looks as I drove the horse around town.

Here are some photos taken immediately after getting the horse into the safety of my studio (aka - my garage)...


Don't fight the flannel- just give into it.


A few detail photos of the fiberglass sculpture...