Proud Mare

96" x 96" x 24" (244cm x 244cm x 61cm), hydrocal 1997

I love horses. I also love making big sculptures. So it was only a matter of time before one was sculpted by me. I first went down to Kentucky to take a horse sculpture class. Then I went to the Kensignton Stables in Brooklyn and rented a stall space next to the live animals. Needless to say, I had great models: a retired champion Thoroughbred, a champion Quarter horse, an Arabian, an Appaloosa, A Palomino and a couple of Percherons. the result was a sculpture that captured the essence and spirit of all of them. More broadly, the union of the strong and the delicate!

The pose relates to the heroic equestrian monuments popular all over the world. But there are a couple of key differences. First of all, I chose to make a mare, as I noticed no equestrian monument had ever included a femalae horse! I also discarded the rider so the horse became the sole hero and not the subordinate beast.

Most of these images show Proud Maree at the 1997 Hampton Classic in Bridgehampton, NY. While there, the visitors' respose was great. But, the ultimate compliments came from a couple of golden retrievers who tried to herd the horse by circling it, barking at it, and even biting it!