Horse Mother and Baby Ceramic Sculpture

Description

This sculpture of a horse mother and baby is a brand new design. I often sculpt parent animals interacting with one or more babies. But usually these sculptures depict parent dogs and puppies. I don’t sculpt horses very often.

The idea for this sculpture came while on a walk. As I walked, I thought about the interesting balance between vulnerability and strength. It occurred to me that horses combine both. They have high spirits, but also a solid physical presence. Their large, muscular bodies rest atop thin and fragile legs. I thought how mothers, both animal and human, must also combine strength and vulnerability. The idea for the horse mother and baby sculpture was born.

For the sculpture, I wanted the foal to explore her or his growing strength. The foal rears up, showing off its height and energy. But the foal also rests on her much larger mother. The lying mother seems serene and peaceful to me, but also ready to rise up should her strength be needed. The foal appears to be whispering in the mother horse’s ear, suggesting a special connection between the two.

I created this sculpture from three different colored clay bodies. I used my rich red-brown clay for the horses’ main, with secondary coloring from my white and black clays. The horse mother and baby sculpture measures about 12 inches long.