I’ve had this little bugger in mind ever since a special encounter with a baby beaver while hiking three summers ago. When I finally gathered up a lump of clay and began, something unexpected happened.

I almost stopped.

The reference images scattered across my table looked much more, well… rodent-like… than the remarkable little creature who had been living in my imagination all these years. Doubt crept in. Where was the compelling, magical being I remembered?

I took a break. Walked in the woods. Thought of my childhood. Then returned to the studio and downloaded a delightfully read audio version of “The Wind in the Willows.” I returned to that moment three summers ago when the baby beaver popped its head out of the water. I remembered.

The curiosity. The industriousness. The almost comical earnestness of a creature who can alter an entire landscape one stick at a time.

And slowly, this little bugger emerged through eight hours of “The Wind in the Willows” followed by a fabulous reading of “Watership Down.” I found my way back into that magical world we are all part of when we open our hearts and quiet our minds.

Beaver enjoyed an enthusiastic debut at Sculpture in the Park in Loveland. Apparently, I’m not the only one who found this lil being irresistible. Within two weeks, all 50 bronzes from the first batch had been claimed by enthusiastic humans.

The foundry is now busy with the next batch from the limited edition of 100. I am a bit blown away by the love this newest member of my palm-size bronze menagerie has received. Perhaps there’s something about a creature who quietly reminds us what can happen when we keep building the life we imagine.