BY PAULA

MONTGOMERY

Special to The Pilot

Equine paintings and sculpture and jewelry will be on display for the month of January at the Campbell House Galleries.

Local artist and sculptor Dedi McHam and Charlotte-based sculptor Michele Garrett Laster will unveil their creations that reflect a love of horses and animals in general.

Michele Laster was born in Washington, D.C., but spent most of her childhood in Europe.

"I was first exposed to dressage in Europe, and it was then that horses and horse events became an integral part of my life," says Laster. "When I moved back to the States at age 16, I focused on hunter jumper competitions, which continued for the next 30 years. In 1986, I started a working horse farm outside of Charlotte."

Laster has bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in biology, nutritional biochemistry and public health.

When she began to -concentrate on her more creative skills, Laster combined her scientific background and knowledge of anatomy with her love of animals to pursue sculpting, using the lost wax technique. She was extremely fortunate to find experienced artisans who contributed to her growth and development.

Laster has exhibited her work throughout the United States. She has always been intrigued by how each -animal's movements are unique, and her understanding of anatomy allows her to capture their very essence.

Every piece of Laster's work begins with an idea or concept, usually one involving motion, and she relishes the challenge of transferring the initial idea to a fully formed sculpture.

Artist and writer Dedi McHam received her knowledge of muscle and bone from a comparative anatomy class at N.C. State. She sold her first two sculptures to Beval Saddlery in New Jersey. McHam's work has been featured on the cover of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine three times, and she has created trophies for steeplechase events, including a perpetual trophy for the Stoneybrook Steeplechase.

McHam works mainly on commissions but has also displayed her work at galleries in Maryland and Saratoga Springs, N.Y. At one time, she wrote for SPUR magazine as a roving editor, where she visited racetracks, racehorse farms and sales events throughout the East.

"The greatest compliment I can remember is being compared to Remington," says McHam. "Although, I see myself in a different category because I feel my work is more representative of present day replicas of English horses. My work is lovingly done in the secret of all order and all happiness."

McHam's studio is on a small farm, where she is surrounded by dogs and horses. Recently, she has taken up oil painting, and she is presently working on a line of jewelry.

"Boots and Britches" opens Friday, Jan. 6, with a reception to meet the artists from 6 to 8 p.m.

The reception, which is free and open to the public, is hosted by Kay and Howard Anderson, Eve Avery, Elaine and Bob Baillie, Peggy Baldwin, Miriam and Wily Chu, Frank Corrigan, Alden Frye, Eye Candy Gallery, Elaine and Arthur Greenwood, Jo and Peter Howell, Cary Kennedy, and Percy and Don Warren.

The exhibit is on display through Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The galleries will be closed on Jan. 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Campbell House Galleries are located at 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines.

For more information about the Boots and Britches exhibit, contact the Arts Council of Moore County at (910) 692-2787 or visit the website at www.mooreart.org.