I loved horses as a child and read every "horse" book, and saw every TV show with horses. I BEGGED my parents for a horse, we lived in the country. "If you still want one when you are 12, we will get you one", they promised. Well I did and they didn't. I continued to love horses from afar. Each autumn, my favorite time of year, my Dad used me as a weight on the plow when he dug potatoes. The air was crisp, with the scent of fallen leaves and an occasional waft of smoke from a distant fireplace. I would stand on that plow and dream of riding my horse in the fall. I'm 53 now and gave up the dream of having a horse long ago. I rarely think about it because it seems so impossible...so, for now, I can only love and idolize horses by painting them. In this painting, as in many of my paintings, there is nothing more important one moment. Our lives are made up of single moments. We are always in such a hurry to fast forward, we are skipping portions of our lives. We should take time to smell the roses, savoring each minute, unhurried for the scents in the air, the quiet sounds, the stillness and peace. The girl and horse are one shape, almost in silhouette. She waits patiently for him to graze while the sun sets, nothing is more important than this moment. I could easily imagine they are kindred spirits. I kept shapes indistinct with large brushes and almost void of minute detail, kept edges soft, allowing the viewer into the picture plane as if they are there, unseen witnessing this moment, eavesdropping on the sounds. I use the device of cropping and having the subject ( s) looking anyplace but directly at the viewer to give the viewer a sense of intimacy, as if he has accidentally come upon this quiet moment.. I also use points of light to accent areas to keep the viewers eyes in a certain area, suggesting details, by making them fuzzy. This allows the viewer to finish the image in his mind and perhaps attach the painting to a memory or person he knows personally.