GAMBLER'S HOOF

Bronze, 8" H x 8" W x 8" D

“Gambler’s Hoof” was made in response to an experience that I had with my horse. He became very lame and the veterinarian said that he might have to be put down. While I nursed his condition and waited for improvement, the image of a winged hoof came to me. Gambler was a winged messenger to me in some respects since he brought me so much joy and taught me lessons about stillness, listening, and waiting.  With him I was able to go to places of great beauty that I would never otherwise have known.  

After the danger of his illness passed I trained him to stand still in a pail of water so that I could make a mold of his hoof.  I made this piece from a sense of relief, gratitude and joy to celebrate his life and recovery. I later made a second version, “Gambler’s Hoof Revisited,” after his death (years later) in which I reshaped the original ailing hoof into a perfectly healthy form to represent his new, perfect existence in another life.  By doing this I celebrated his life and dealt with the pain of losing my companion of twenty years.