Pastel and Colored Pencil on paper

16 x 20

 

Palomino refers to the color of the horse and not the breed.  The so-called standard is that the color should be like a "newly minted gold coin", but the accepted shades can range from a very light 'cremello" hue to a rich chocolate brown.  Whatever the definition, these horses are striking and they always catch the eye. 

 

I saw this beautiful horse and its rider standing very quietly and waiting to enter the arena for a competition.  It was necessary to make the background behind the horse as dark as possible without resorting to black, in order to bring out the lovely golden coat color of the animal.  It took six alternating layers of dark green and violet to accomplish the dark.