The Story Behind the Painting
Tranquility After a Long Day's Ride began around 2002, when I was at Webb Ranch in Los Altos, California, participating in a riding clinic with Erik Herbermann. While I was there, I took a photograph of the ranch's rental string resting after their work. I was drawn to the quietness of the horses at the end of the day and knew I wanted to paint the scene.
I began the painting in 2009 using Artisan paints, but I became frustrated with it and eventually put it aside. It remained unfinished for seventeen years.
In 2026, I returned to the painting with fresh eyes and considerably more painting experience. Rather than simply picking up where I had left off, I completely repainted it in oils. Seventeen years after I first put paint to canvas, the painting finally became what I had hoped it could be.
Tranquility After a Long Day's Ride captures the peacefulness I saw in those horses that day, but the title has taken on another meaning for me as well. The painting itself had been on a very long journey before finally reaching its destination.