My piece is a horse and rider, a theme I have been exploring for quite a while. I am fascinated by the symbiotic relationship between animal and human. During my walks in the San Dieguito Valley, I see a lot of horseback riders. Out in the natural spaces there is a sort of timeless feeling to them. I wanted to integrate that theme in my piece. Grand Avenue had its share of horses and riders in its time. It is fun to bring back that imagery. I love prehistoric art in caves. They are the first murals depicting animals. They are the subjects of their livelihood, safety, and environment 30,000 years ago. It was the first thing they painted along with their own hands, something I equally like to portray. My fascination with horses began with my fear of them. They are so big and powerful. It was a theme my mother, who was also an artist, would paint regularly. And perhaps I pulled it out of the collective memory of these cave drawings that have been at the forefront of the psyche that got triggered during a visit to a cave of pictographs in France. I had a lot of fun painting. I haven’t worked this large before. It was exciting. My process is intuitive. I do not start with sketching. I knew I was making a horse and rider, but I did not have a particular composition in mind. Over the course of my process, a lot of layers surfaced. I would paint over and see something else. I kept digging, adding, and subtracting and something came out that was surprising to me that I didn’t know was there. The final result has sort of a dream like quality. It is good to know that it will be out there for everyone to see. It is fun to be able to give that gift without illegally painting on the wall.