These three animals specifically fit the larger-scale presence of The Christmas Story and Sanctuary. “I wanted these animals to have a calming, yet very stoic, elegant presence — by their gestures, their stance, the turn of their heads. I experimented with color and texture to give them a softness. I was interested in transforming a hard surface by carving and carving into it until it looked wooly or furry, or in the case of the donkey, had the clothlike surface of a blanket.” --Susan Lordi