This piece depicts seventeen horses and riders returning from an all-day expedition, with dust swirling across the right side of the composition. I was captivated by the rich palette of the horses’ coats and the riders’ varied clothing—colors that demanded to be captured.

I completed half a dozen color studies for the figures, working through the challenge of portraying each rider authentically. The rider in the white t-shirt, sixth from the right, presented a particular puzzle—his tall frame required careful attention to make him appear naturally seated on his mount. In the background, Lanin Volcano rises majestically on the Argentina-Chile border, serving as an iconic sentinel of the northern Patagonian landscape.