Study of 3 year olds

Wool and Wood Wool over wire armature, reclaimed wooden base Approx 18 high by 15 long

Working with wool and needle felting techniques is a recent discovery of mine. I am a great believer in the meaning implied by the choice of material in a sculpture. I think that the material and technique chosen are as important as the resulting image of the finished piece.

I love the way you start with such a flexible, tactile material in the raw wool and through constant manipulation it is turned into something solid and firm. I thought that this reflected well in how the horse is viewed and used by people. We are constantly working, moulding and manipulating the horse to create the perfect animal for our needs. It is a constant manipulation of a natural thing.

I observe, sketch and photograph horses on a daily basis as part of my work, and I often use a pose or moment that has stuck in my mind. This work is based on a play session between two three year ponies. I was struck by the energy, the speed and the constant one-upmanship between the pair, practicing moves that in their natural setting would be used to defend their herd. The trust between two young colts is quite something when you consider that these moves when used for real have the potential to be fatal. This particular movement stuck in my head where the section A pony aimed for the other ponys throat because of the trust invoked by the other pony, but also the grace and power that was exhibited by each pony.