Remember the excitement of riding the carousel when you were younger? Those life-size horses were so beautiful and shiny. You felt like a knight or a princes or a cowboy atop one.

Carnivals, ferris wheels, carousels are an American tradition, particularly in the more rural parts of the country. With "Painted Ponies," I wanted to capture that excitement a kid feels when they see – and maybe get to ride – these magnificent supercolored wooden horses at a nighttime carnival.

Colored pencil on drafting film.