My work revolves around images of or related to the horse. It is a response to my past as well as the past of the horse. I grew up on a ranch in western South Dakota where horses were a part of everyday life. Grooming them became an hour of intense study; I began to notice the way in which they were put together, the way that the backbone connected to the shoulders, ribs and hips. Riding provided a study of motion as I felt the muscles move beneath their skin. I studied the horses movement and mannerism in the pasture as well. That time spent watching them gave me a greater sensitivity for a more natural and gestural feeling in my own sculpture. I portray horses in clay because clay is tactile. It can be held, touched and formed with bare hands. As my hand conforms to the contour of the horses' bones and muscles, so does the clay to my hand.