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Amy Laugesen is a Colorado-based sculptor with classic training in the arts. Laugesen is known for her modern-day equine “relics” that span from large-scale commissioned public artworks to small mixed-media treasures. Mainly working with ceramics, Laugesen has mastered techniques to create works that look ancient, drawing from Eastern and Western clay sculpting trad
itions, and a variety of glazing techniques to achieve the unique color of each sculpture. Her ceramics are paired with vintage metals, porcelain casters, and metal, wood, or stone bases. Laugesen shared insight about her self-made herd, her muse, and the stories behind each work in Unrestrained.
AMY LAUGESEN: My relationship with horses is profound and started at an early age. I can honestly say my horse Tic Tac saved my life during my adolescence. He is forever my Muse and he is embodied in each sculpture I create. I carry strands of his tail with me to bring me comfort and physically hold on to his memory. I do not have a special horse companion at this time in my life, so sculpting horses keeps me connected in spirit. Seeing sculptures I have created in the Gallery or in a Private Collection brings me joy. Each piece is part of my family, my herd.
AMY LAUGESEN: The glaze on Stardust Mare is new to me and my Herd. It can be unpredictable. All the elements successfully came together for this piece, and I am grateful for this gift out of the Kiln. I am often asked why my horse sculptures sometimes do not have legs or their legs are broken. I am inspired by ancient artifacts, my sculptures intentionally are created to appear weathered down to their pure essence. I relate my sculptures to objects of antiquity (familiar in museums) in which the extremities (arms, legs, head, etc.) have been broken off; however, the form, gesture and spirit of the piece is still recognizable. The metal mount contributes to the intention of this sculpture to appear as an artifact and gives it an ethereal quality. I also create horse sculptures with legs that are very “grounded” in the present moment.
AMY LAUGESEN: The saying “rode hard and put away wet” originates from the practice of riding a horse hard and then leaving it sweaty and ungroomed. The hat sculpture was created to honor the historic spirit of the horse women/ cowgirls of the West whose focus is on caring for her horse, family, others, the task at hand, etc. and her own self-care is a low-priority on her “To Do List.” The weathered patina on the ceramic hat with rusted metal hat band represents the hard working character and grit of the woman who once wore it.
AMY LAUGESEN: Zapata Ranch in the San Luis Valley of Colorado and it’s women wrangles/horse women have inspired many artists (like Terry Gardner) who attended Artist Gatherings during the years of the Ranchlands management of The Medano-Zapata Ranch owned by The Nature Conservancy. Former manager of Zapata Ranch, Kate Matheson and her hat are the subject of the Black Hat sculpture. This sculpture is dedicated to Kate and honors her contemporary spirit as a cowgirl and mother living in the West.”
AMY LAUGESEN: I love horse weathervanes, especially on old barns in New England where the salt air has given the copper a beautiful green patina. This was the inspiration for the sculpture having family roots in New England and living in Boston for seven years. The Weather the Storm sculpture was created the year my father died.
The ceramic horse cracked during the glaze firing, and I felt the sculpture absorbed my grief of the loss of my father. To honor the crack, I filled it with gold leaf inspired by the Japanese “Kintsugi” art form, which literally means “joining with gold.” I love that part of this philosophy is that when something has suffered damage, that history can in fact be made more beautiful and even stronger. This added another layer to the story of this weathervane that was weathering the storm of my emotions.
