Anika Ackerly

 

When I was nine, I got into horses, started taking lessons, and began fantasizing about my dream horse. In the beginning it was a towering black stallion whom I would have named Storm. I now have a black mare named Cinder. Today my dream is the Dapple Gray. I hope to one day own a horse of this coloring, but for now I will simply paint her. I especially enjoyed doing the texture of the mane and tail which reflect the orange-tinted light and adding the suggestion of dapples to the chest.