My inspiration is the horse. More specifically, the thoroughbred. In particular, the difference in attitude, character and physicality that sets the champion racehorse apart. The thoroughbred horse is a truly breath-taking sight. Powerful yet graceful, athletic, balanced, fit, fast, stunningly beautiful and yet oblivious to the impact that this mesmerizing combination can have on the observer, the thoroughbred could maintain my interest in the horse as a subject for a lifetime.
However, it is in searching for the components that make a champion a champion that I find myself drawn into each subject with a fresh excitement. Every champion horse has something unique or, more likely, a unique combination of attributes that will set it apart from the herd. It is the process of trying to establish what these are, and attempting to capture them, that I find so alluring.
My ambition with every work is to sculpt the character, the presence, the movement and the likeness of the horse so that fleeting spark of excitement, passion and beauty can endure. How has the breed evolved in the last 300 years? How interesting would it be to be able to stand Eclipse next to Shergar? Sculpting a portrait of a great horse can be an accurate historical record of the bloodline as well as a work of art.
To capture the life, the energy and the willingness of spirit in clay and bronze is a huge, never-ending challenge to which I am becoming increasingly addicted. I hope that my involvement with these amazing animals and in this thrilling sport continues for many years to come.
