Growing up in Colorado, I was always fascinated with animals and horses in particular, I was intrigued by their movements, physical characteristics and behavior. This life study has spurred my imagination in sculpting and painting what I know best, one of our greatest treasures the Horse. We all have to be passionate about something, and for me to create a sculpture or painting that captures the mood, spirit and confirmation of my subject is exciting and challenging. Whether it be a commission or an idea of my own (of which there are many), my ideas come from the horses in our pasture, a song or poem or just a comment I hear. I want the viewer not to see cold metal or empty canvas, but a subject that breathes life! In describing the sculpture 'Ponies before the Storm', one collector says, "Horses run through Janel Maher's hands…and she stops them in bronze so we can touch them".