Steel Sculpture by Canadian Sculptor Hilary Clark Cole

Setting out to create a horse, particularly a baby horse, was daunting. I spent a great deal of time and study on the maquette in order to prepare for the life-size version, and everything I know about horses is in that little sculpture.

The maquette can be seen in the working shot on this page. This lifesize filly is an outdoor sculpture handbuilt of welded Corten steel plate. It took about 8 months to complete this piece. After about 5 months of battling with every weld, I opened the door of my shop one morning, and there she was, standing, looking at me as if she was alive.

Among the experiences of my Art College years in Toronto was the annual Fall pilgrimage to the Royal Winter Fair at the Exhibition Grounds. Armed with drawing and painting materials, we the art students would settle in for the 10 day duration of the Fair and capture its inspiration.

That inspiration was vast and colourful, from the vegetable, fruit and flower displays, to the animal barns where goats, cows, pigs and sheep, geese, ducks and rabbits coped with temporary displacement from their homes, and the throes of competition.

I learned how to observe and draw a living creature in that setting, by starting with a large page, and beginning a small drawing in the upper left hand corner. When the animal moved, I started a new drawing beside it, and continued to begin new drawings on the page.

Ultimately the animal's repertoire would be complete, and I could go back to each drawing as a position was repeated, and finish that section before there was another change. If I persevered, I would end up with not only a page of finished drawings, but a complete study of the character and habits of the animal.

My favourite place of all at the Royal was the horse barn. There I learned to deeply respect not only the character and habits of the horses, but those qualities in their owners. I learned never to be complacent about interpreting a particular horse... they knew the individual animals so completely that one sketch line out of place would be pointed out.

The Chestnut Filly is much loved by her owner, who knows all about horses, and all about welding, so I am doubly honoured.