A young Thoroughbred colt is led at a canter in front of the stands before the race. Though he's inexperienced with crowds, this two-year-old is relaxed and alert, thanks in part to his rider.

Notice the perfect balance between horse and equestrian. The jockey is standing on little more than his toes, yet his hands are light on the reins. Imagine the control it must take to not use the reins for balance! Racehorses are trained to respond to cues differently than riding horses. If you want a normal horse to slow down or stop, you tighten the reins. To a racehorse, a tight rein means "go fast," and a tighter rein means "go very fast!" Here, before the race, the idea is not to go fast, but to relax, so a looser rein is used.

This mixed media painting vibrates with color. From a distance, the surface looks smooth, but on closer inspection every square inch is packed bits of pure color. No color mixing on the palette here. I want your eye to do the mixing, not my brush. Many layers of paint and pastel are laid in a broken manner, often with one complement over another for extra zing. (See Detail Image 3.) Oh, and see those bright specks of paint? Those were flicked on with a brush. Splattering is a technique I learned from Faye Moore in a workshop. It's far too much fun, so I have to be careful not to overdo it!