Barrel Racer One, oil pastel and ink equine painting by Carol Engles

14 x 16 oil pastel and ink on paper. I have received lots of requests to do more Western equine art. So, I have done three more Western pieces - this is the first one! I wanted to catch the speed of this sport with lots of line and color. I also wanted to show the intensity of the horse with emphasis on the horse's eye. As I have noted before, even though I do horses in an abstract style, I try to depict the eyes in a more realistic way. They are the focus point of my paintings and if they aren't recognizable or realistic, my paintings don't have the intensity and personality that I am trying to capture.