In this historical work, completed by Ashley Collins in 2002, we see many through lines — the building blocks of what would shape her into a contemporary icon.

The figurative horse, rendered in black, emerged from necessity. When Collins began her journey, she was homeless, and black was the least expensive paint available. From that limitation, she developed a technique that holds both depth and lightness at once — a black so nuanced that the viewer instinctively assembles color within the mind.

The work incorporates both encaustic and resin — encaustic first, as resin was initially unaffordable.

A series of letters and scribbles weave through the surface, helping to tell a story.

Her story.

Perhaps our own.

Where is the horse headed? Is it the close of a weary day, watching a sunset stretch across the plains? Or is it the beginning of a long and difficult journey?

You, the viewer, bring your own narrative.

The most compelling through line is this: the painting should not work — and yet, it does. It is a study in imperfection. Like all her works, it asks us to see the soul and the possibilities, rather than offering a mere replica of a moment in time.

It is filled with quiet movement.

The kind of movement found most profoundly in silence.