Blue Hills, Los Gatos, ca. 1943

Reitzel's son, Marques R. Reitzel, described how his father would create "exhibition" paintings, typically 5' x 7'. "He first sketched his composition in charcoal, and then created a separate watercolor to decide colors. Once the colors were chosen, he went back and filled in a stain of color over the charcoal sketch with oils. When he achieved what he wanted, he went ahead and finished the painting. He was able to achieve some incredibly vivid colors."