This pastel, "Dynamic Duo" has received several awards, the most recent being the "Spirit of the West Award" at the 2010 Western & Wild Horse Art Show in Rock Springs, WY. It also won a purchase award, so now has a new home...which is great and a touch bittersweet, as this painting always held a lot of meaning for me. Throughout the process of painting the little barrel racer on her powerful steed, I often thought of how much sacrifice and hard work it takes to make a dream come true -  how many "barrels" we must tip over to reach a cherished goal in the often dusty arena of life! I know other artists can relate to this!

The juror of awards was one of my favorite western artists, Ann Hanson, who crafts beautifully realistic renditions of horses and their people.