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I am blessed to live in West Texas and I draw inspiration from the things I see around me. In Lubbock, Texas, where I hang my hat we have Texas Tech University and their mascot the Red Raider. During football games the Masked Rider rides across the field on a beautiful black stallion pointing his fingers in the air. This was the first college mascot to ride a live horse and it's a great sight.

This mascot got me thinking, what would this rider look like in the old west? First off he would have a gun instead of a finger in the air. Even better, two guns and the reins in his teeth! Next his cape would have to be something more practical, like a poncho. To bring this vision to life I studied gun fighters from the old west and created period correct six-shooters and holsters. I analyzed and recreated the motion of a horse at a full run. I threw in a dash of Rooster Cogburn and Clint Eastwood from the Spaghetti Westerns. The result was an old west icon, the "Fearless" gunfighter riding at his foes with both guns blazing.

"Fearless" is made of mild steel that was then heat treated with the addition of a protective clear coating to permanently preserve its patina. The base is a hard wood that was stained to complement the hues of the metal. The base was then covered with a high gloss lacquer. I put a tremendous amount of detail into this piece. If you look you will see the bullets in the guns and both the rider and his horse have teeth. All of the straps holding the saddle have buckles. This piece has as much detail as you will find on other sculptures cast in bronze; possibly more. The biggest challenge was getting metal to look like cloth. His shirt is a lighter material than his poncho, and I had to work very meticulously to express this. To get the cape to flow out behind him as he rides at full speed took days alone.

This is a truly a one-of-one piece and took almost five years to construct. The only hands that touched it were mine, unlike a cast statue where half the work was done by a foundry. This piece is an original; no one will ever have a carbon copy of it. When a piece is cast the original is destroyed, and the only thing that is left is a copy. On the other hand, you can see my tool marks all over this piece and see where it evolved from flat metal to the amazing piece it is. I believe that strengthens the personality and story of "Fearless."

This work of art would make a great addition to any collection. From every angle you get a new experience and you will notice details that you never noticed before. You will be confident in knowing you have the only one.