During this period of my life, (the 1990s) I was painting in an attic, living with a man who did not know what fine art was. He never came up to see my paintings. Those two years produced some of my finest paintings. I painted this horse as a solid, sculptural animal. He is defiant (ears back) and sure of his strength. I used the palette knife to add texture, then put a wash over it; I used paint sticks along with tube paints, to achieve the chalky effect on his body. Horses have been special to me all of my life and I often portray myself in them. Use of yellow paint shows strength and courage. My Mother died when I was 14. I did a painting of her as a young woman (from a photo) and I did the whole painting in gold. She was strong, courageous and wise. I also wrote 30 poems in tribute to her. She was my mainstay and I attribute my perseverance and high standards to her.