Drinking the Wind

According to myth, the Arabian horse originated in the time of Abraham's son, Ishmael. While asleep, Ishmael suddenly woke as a huge twisting gust of wind swirled nearby. Thunder, rain and dust spewed forth until the wind was commanded to stop by the angel Gabriel. Upon hearing the angel, the furious wind coalesced into the magnificent stallion Kuhaylah, the first Arabian. It was said by the Bedouins that the spirited Kuhaylah "drank the wind" as he galloped across the desert. Ref:[link]

Acrylic on illustration board, 38 x 51 cm. I'll probably submit a print soon.

The best thing about this is I managed to make a painting about the Near East that doesn't feature a desert- not that the region is exclusively desert, not at all- usually I'd use this sort of setting as an excuse to paint a desert. I know this work isn't the most original thing ever- it's really a portfolio-bulking pic.