I finished this piece too late for the Steinbeck Show and too late for the Horse Show. I've been wanting to create a multi-card ACEO and thought this could lend itself well. In reading The Red Pony I was able to gather that Gabilan is a bay pony of many moods. Steinbeck describes how is when he is alert, his pricked ears are forward and his nostrils flare. His coat is a glossy bright red and his mane a glossy black. I also felt that it would be appropriate to put the Gabilan Mountains and Salinas Valley in the background.

Usually I use mostly colored pencil or all colored pencil on my ACEO's, but as I worked on this piece, I started the base color in pastels and it was working so well for me that most of the piece is done in pastel. I used colored pencil for horse's eye and some of the details in his coat and his mane. The piece has been sprayed with several coats of a satin sealer.

The part of the proceeds of this sale benefited The Abby Sanctuary, a local lifetime home for unwanted pets.