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This sketch is really about learning.  I found this photo on a Civil War site as I was doing research for a show that opens October 10 at Spindletop Hall in Lexington, KY.  Hosted by the American Academy of Equine Art, the show is titled Shades of Blue and Grey and its purpose is to show the horse during the Civil War. I got very excited when I heard about this show.  It made me think.  It made me go in a direction that I hadn't been before.  It challenged me. I went to reenactments - Richmond and Perryville at least twice each. I read on the internet. I have enough really good photos that I could paint the Civil War for years to come. I am still excited about this event.  I can't wait to see what other artists have come up with.

This sketch was  a learning piece. Trying a mixed media approach, I started with a watercolor base and strengthened lines with ink and then went to colored pencil.  I think I'll be doing more of this type of sketching.  I liked the process a lot.

Because this is taken off the internet and was done only for me to learn from it, it is not for sale. I wish I could remember where I found it so I could give the photographer credit.