I was in a car accident September 19, 2001. The atrocities to our wonderful country had just happened.

My right hand was permanently injured in the accident. I'm right handed... I was blessed with a gift: the ability to draw. I hadn't been using that gift. Now, in an instant, I wasn't sure if I could ever be able to draw again, or do the other thing I loved most: ride.

Months went by, with little improvement but I was told I needed to use my hand. I was in constant pain and embarrassed to say, depressed because I had lost my job that I loved and done for 17 years and had no idea what to do to support myself. Drawing had always been my passion, lifting my spirit. So I decided to try to draw again. I quickly discovered that just the pressure of pencil to paper caused terrible pain and...I could not do it!

I tried one last thing: I tried painting. I could dip my brush in paint and water and lightly touch the paper. Most of my original paintings are on huge pieces of paper. I had to make the image larger because I had much less control in my right hand and fine detailed work is hard for me to do now.

I strive to put my adoration for God's magnificent animal on paper. My wish would be for everyone to experience the wonder of horses.

Ann Dickens