Artist adding to sculpture herd

The lone horse along the greenway in Plains might have company by the end of the year. Artist Kenton Pies of Plains is about 75 percent done with the Wild Horse Plains Herd's second horse and hopes to have the brown and white 9.5-foot-long steel equine posted on the greenway next month. 

He started working on the second horse in January and even though he's not done with it, he started on number three two weeks ago and has about 35 hours into it. Pies, 87, started on the herd two years ago, initially as a money-making project, but he changed his mind and switched it to a nonprofit one in an effort to beautify the town. 

Donating his time for the project has not been easy, particularly since he's received only about $1,500 from nine people who know him, although RTI Fabrication of Plains donated steel pedestals and Cd'A Metals of Coeur d'Alene donated around 200 pounds of sheet metal, which might be enough for the two horses he's working on presently. Most of the money he's put into materials has come from his own pocket. He said that each horse cost about $2,000 to make. His plans first called for eight horses, but the herd was reduced to five due to finances. Pies said he's spent about $4,000 of his own money and put in an estimated $18,000 in labor into the horses.

"If I don't get some help, there might only be three," said Pies, who had to take a break after surgery last week and could only do light work and coaching of his new assistant, Sig Person of Paradise. Person started volunteering his metal working skills in early September, doing the majority of the welding and holding pieces while Pies fastens them. Andy Gonzalez of Plains had been volunteering his time on the project, but he was limited because of a full-time job. Person is retired. Pies said Person's assistance is "immeasurable."

"I've always wanted to do something like this," said Person, who at one point was an art major in school. The 73-year-old has about 30 years of welding experience. "I think it's going to be a nice addition to the community. It really spruces up the town and it spells out the name of the community and you can't have real horses running around town," said Person. 

The biggest difference on the third horse is that it'll be rearing up on two legs. Pies guesses that it will stand about nine feet tall and likely will be painted brown. He hopes to get the third horse on the greenway by March. He said much of it depends on weather.

 Each horse is first done with a heavy sheet metal base with a rebar skeletal form. Over that is thinner sheet metal and atop of that is expanded metal that will be covered in a coat of concrete. Pies took some criticism of his first horse, not from artists, but horse people, who felt the neck was too thick. Pies said he has photos of real horses with thick necks, nevertheless, his other horses will have thinner necks.

Anyone interested in donating money or labor can contact Pies at 826-7788.