First, she wakes up in her home on two acres in Boulder, Colorado, and tends to the dogs. Frances rescues greyhounds. Then she takes a trail ride on her horse, a Shire/Quarterhorse cross. She also owns two retired Thoroughbreds. After the ride and caring for the horses, Frances goes to her job as a hair stylist where, she tells ENM , she enjoys socializing, a necessary change from the solitude of painting. After work, she comes home and paints. Frances also keeps active

"I can't believe I'm living it!" said Frances.

Her art hangs in the salon where she works. She's also incredulous about her good fortune as an artist: "I still can't believe I can be called an equine artist even though I've sold a lot of work." Much of her work sells from the salon and she receives numerous commissions.

Frances paints bold and colorful artwork which adeptly depict the subject's character. "Purple Velvet," for example, seems much bolder and more curious then shy "Jesse" or aloof "Toronto." Both "Snowhorses" and "Two Horses" demonstrate a wonderful sense of movement through brushstrokes and abstracted colored shadings.

Surprisingly, Frances began painting seriously only three years ago. She took courses in 2005 at the local community college, and then attended the prestigious Colorado Academy of Art, which offers programs in classical drawing, painting and sculpture. The training offered at this institution shows in Frances's work. The Colorado Academy of Art is an internationally approved classical training academy, listed among only forty schools in the world including the Art Students League in New York City, Angel Studios in Ontario, and the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.

Frances believes the breakthrough moment of her life was her decision to return to school to study art. "It changed my life," said Frances.

"The first thing I do when beginning a new piece is to decide the medium," said Frances. "The first few hours are the hardest. I stare at the canvas and the photos I'm working from. Then I just feel it. It comes naturally. I stick with it and it grows and finally comes together.

"Most of the work takes place in the first four hours. I may take a break and return to it, but once I've started, it's hard to walk away. I get immersed in the moment. I love that part! It's active meditation and I have really good music, usually mellow jazz, playing in the background." A typical 11" x 14" work takes about eight hours to complete.

What would she be if she weren't an artist? "I'd be wondering what to do with my life!"

Equine art fans are thankful the talented Frances Marino found her calling.