One of the highlights of our world trip last year was the spectacular Fantasia Festival in Fez, Morocco. The fantasia is a war ceremony to showcase the strongest riders of opposing tribes. Each successive group of riders, in traditional costume astride ornately adorned horses, charge from a standstill at the distant end of a field galloping at top speed and holding their traditional rifles above their heads. Standing in their stirrups tightly reining their horses, they careen en masse down the field in a crescendo of energy that ends in full fortississimo with the simultaneous firing of their weapons. Hooves resound as horses and riders sweep across the earth, clods of dirt and grass flying, while their cries split the air urging each other on. The two paintings echo the chaos, the pageantry, the solidarity and daring of the tribes as they make their run down the long field. I wanted to capture the raw beauty and strength of both horses and men in this magnificent display of power and tribal tradition.