My Life in a Sculpture

In the lobby of the Warden Theater at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, I discovered a sculpture that summarizes my life in retirement. The horse sculpture, Sonoran Pony, was painted by Lori Musil. The piece is part of the Ponies del Pueblo project. All the species are beautifully painted but I was struck by how much of my life is represented in this single artwork.

A Perfect Portrait

The first representation is the horse. Since I retired, I’ve spent the last 5 years getting to know and learning how to ride horses. Three years ago, I had no interest in owning a horse or even leasing a horse. I was mostly interested in reptiles. Fast forward and my current count is three horses. Horses are very different from reptiles, but as a biologist, I’ve enjoyed becoming acquainted with these very large, unique mammals.

Painted on this horse are iconic animals and plants of the Sonoran Desert. Several of them have been featured in the books I’ve written. That’s been another significant part of my retirement. Writing science-based illustrated books. Most of the books are targeted toward children and the adults in their lives, but I’ve also written a few specifically for adults.

On one of the ankles is painted a roadrunner, as depicted in my book Don’t Make Me Fly. Here the bird is shown holding a lizard, a typical prey for this carnivore. This unfortunate reptile may be simply a meal or it may be a gift in a romantic gesture to a potential mate.

On another ankle is painted with a ground squirrel like the ones I describe in the book Squirrels of the Sonoran Desert. I learned so much about the amazing ground squirrels. They are an important part of the environment even though they annoy us with their numerous holes in our yards, driveways, streets, and pretty much anywhere they decide to create a tunnel.

On the tail is a hummingbird, a representative of the many hummingbird species that stay in Tucson year-round or pass through on their way north and south. I’ve been delighted by the numerous species that have stopped by my house on their travels. 

Hummingbirds have been the topic of a couple of my books. The published How Not to Photograph a Hummingbird is both a tale of the difficulty of photographing these quickly flying birds as well as a summary of some of the common native elements of the Sonoran Desert. I’m currently working on a picture book about a black-chinned hummingbird who returned to the El Conquistador hotel each year to build her nest and raise her young. It’s scheduled to be published early next year.

One animal that I haven’t written about, but respect for its ability to adapt to living with humans is the coyote. I encounter them around my house and out in the desert. You can tell who has pooped on your driveway. If it contains seeds, it’s coyote scat and not the leavings of a neighborhood dog. I like the portrayal of the coyote on the horse’s thigh.

Many other animals and plants are painted on the sculpture. I hope to include many of them in future books. I know this piece of art was created for community enjoyment, but I’d like to think it was painted just for me and my life in retirement!