Finished drawing using grid method

a wash to test overall color themes

Sketching color and musculature with paint

Sketching color and musculature with first paint

First layer of horse painting nearly finished, to establish horse colors.

This painting has layer upon layer of thick paint. Mud, dirt, and dust fly up while a mist enshrouds the horses and their jockeys. It wasn’t done until it conveyed a kind of competitive violence and turbulent action. The title suggests untethered contention, but the fraying spreads from a common cord, leaving an overall impression that says, “E Pluribus Unum.”