River Jump

Most of my wall sculptures are made from Baltic birch plywood, which is extremely high quality, very expensive, and worth every penny. However, while in a lumber yard one day, I came across a sheet of cheap fir plywood that caught my eye for its remarkable, water-like grain. It was not the type of wood I would normally use for my work, but it was so beautiful that I bought it, thinking that some day, I would make a piece with a water theme and find a way to incorporate it. This piece, called "River Jump", finally allowed that to happen -- with spectacular results. This photo doesn't adequately capture the iridescence that came up out of that wood once it was painted and finished, but it was truly gorgeous, proving that once again, there is no artist equal to the astounding beauty of nature.

This piece also allowed me to indulge my great love of horses, creatures that are, in many ways, like water itself. Both are fluid and ever changing, mysterious, deep and swift. A horse jumping a river was an image that came to me when I was trying to teach my own horse, Gryphon, to go through water-filled ditches and small creeks. Gryphon would inevitably "go Pegasus" on me, making enormous, heart-in-your-throat leaps over the water to avoid getting his feet wet. To this day he prefers to jump water rather than go through it, and he twirls his head in indignant rage when the rain dares to fall on him.