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Sculptor Libby Ritter loves animals but her pride and joys are her Missouri Fox Trotting horses from which she gets inspiration for her equine sculptures.
SYDNEY BRINK/DEMOCRAT

Libby Ritter created “War Pony” in a 45-minute “Quick Draw” contest recently at the 28th Western Spirit Art Show and Sale in Cheyenne, Wyo. She won first place.
SYDNEY BRINK/DEMOCRAT

Nancy Sams of Knob Noster works on an equine sculpture last week in Libby Ritter's studio near La Monte. Sams started out as a student of Ritter's and now has her own studio.
SYDNEY BRINK/DEMOCRAT

A former art teacher turned sculptor, Libby Ritter has won numerous awards
and now teaches others how to bring life to a mound of clay.
“It’s 10 percent talent and 90 percent sweat,” Ritter said.

Ritter, of La Monte, began sculpting when she was 5 years old. For her,
Play-Doh was more than a fun pastime. She would warm up the Play-Doh
on a stove and make miniature sculptures of horses.

“When you’re a sculptor, it’s just fun and it feels good and you can’t wait
to get back to it,” Ritter said.

Ritter taught art for 30 years until 1980, when she said she could not find a
teaching job and decided to buy a kiln. Since then, Ritter’s work has gained
her recognition throughout the art world and her pieces have sold for
thousands of dollars.

In March, Ritter showed off her love for equines at the 28th annual Western
Spirit Art Show and Sale in Cheyenne, Wyo. Ritter set a record during the
show’s “Quick Draw” contest. Her piece titled “War Pony” was created in
45 minutes; it is the head of a horse.

Kristen Ruck, curator of arts and education at the Cheyenne Frontier Days
Old West Museum, said Ritter’s piece sold for $1,200, the highest price for
a “Quick Draw” piece in the show’s history.

“Her work was quite a draw in terms of how quickly she pulled it together,”
Ruck said.

Ruck said Ritter’s art caused a bidding war and everyone was excited about it.

Ritter competed in the contest about five years ago and said she “made out
like a bandit.”

Ritter did not make the trip to Wyoming alone, though. Nancy Sams, of
Knob Noster, also competed in the show. Sams was originally a two-
dimensional artist, until she met Ritter about 12 years ago.

“Meet Elizabeth Ritter one time and the rest of your life changes,” Sams said.

When Ritter began teaching sculpting classes at her home, Sams was
one of her first students.

“It’s so exciting to come down and work in Elizabeth’s studio. The ideas
are just bouncing off the walls,” Sams said.

Ritter draws inspiration from her four Fox Trotter horses. Many of her
sculptures are Western animals and people. Her favorite piece, “Fighting
Stallions,” took her eight years to finalize. Ritter said she starts out with
many photographs and then begins building the structure. She details
every last inch of her artwork.

“Some of my artwork is realistic and some of it is not,” Ritter said.
A typical piece takes her about two months to complete.

The University of Central Missouri campus houses one of Ritter’s largest pieces, a 6-foot-tall bronze statue of a college girl.

When she is not competing in art contests, Ritter has a handful of students who visit her studio twice a week. Ritter calls them her “Rat Pack” and said the group is very enthusiastic about what they do.

“We work as a unit. We are all competitive and enjoy competitions,” Ritter said.

Sams said the group gives one another critiques, but it is all meant to be helpful. Sams said Ritter is generous not only with tools and materials, but also with ideas.

“I have a strong desire to open opportunities to other area artists,” Ritter said.

She is accepting new artists to work with her on Wednesdays and Fridays at her home. Ritter said she does not charge for the classes. People can visit her Web site at www.rittersculptures.com or call her at 660-347-5879 to find out more information about the class.

“I think anybody that likes it can do it. Just sit back and enjoy the process,” Ritter said.

Sculptor and ceramist Elizabeth Ritter has been sculpting for twenty years and was a former public school art instructor. "In our world of art we find an introspection lacking in other parts of our daily lives. We are able to transcend the normal boundaries of what is and look beyond to what might be imagined," comments Ritter.

Her horses are not necessarily anatomically proportioned but are sculpted in a contemporary style to catch their attitudes and gestures. Ritter remarks, "Those seeking purity in my noncommissioned works will have to look elsewhere. While they are representational, they are not true-to-scale."

     Elizabeth Ritter, a Raku and bronze sculptor from LaMonte, received the Popular Choice Award at the 2004 American Academy of Equine Art in Lexington, KY.
    She also received best in show in the Western Spirit Show at the Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY, in February. In conjunction with the Western Spirit Show, Ms. Ritter's work is on view in the Award Winners Invitational Show at the Old West Museum along with four other artist selected by the museum.
    A Raku horse she created is scheduled to be place in permanent collection at the Plains Museum in Lincoln, NB< during 2005. It is part of a Plains Art Collection owned and donated by pastel artist Mark Moseman of Kansas City.

     LaMonte artist Libby Ritter is not just a horse artist; rather she's a prize-winning equine sculptor and ceramist.
     No prizes have meant more to her than winning best-of-show and best sculpture awards at the Western Spirit Art Show and Sale in March at the Old West Museum in Cheyenne, Wyo.
     Her multi-honored entry was "Brabant," a 14-by-28-by-26-inch raku-fired ceramic sculpture of a massively muscled draft horse. Brabant is the name of a European breed.
     A record 153 artists entered 482 pieces, and 270 of those competed in this year's show. Ms. Ritter, a first-time entrant, received a $1,000 best-of-show prize and $400 for best sculpture. She also had five other pieces accepted for the show.
     "To win at this high level, I was really thrilled," said Ms. Ritter, who described herself as "63 going on 12."
     Robin Laws, of Cheyenne, bought the sculpture for $1,000.
     I think I got a bargain, and I'm going to keep it out where I can see it every day. I just love it," Ms. Laws said in a phone interview. She also had six bronze equine art pieces in the show. "It (Brabant) just took my breath away. To me, it shows strength, but also kindness. It is just striking."
     A former public school art instructor for three decades, Ms. Ritter has been sculpting for 20 years, the past 12 in a teaching studio three miles south of La Monte. She said those seeking purity in her non-commissioned works will have to look elsewhere. While they are representational, they are not true-to-scale.
     "I've been helped by ceramic artists Jeff Walker, Paul Allen and Alan Weaver...plus I've had the pleasure of being influenced by the wonderful collection of ceramic pieces contained in the beautiful Daum Museum of Contemporary Art," Ms. Ritter said.
     They key word is "contemporary."
     The prize-winning piece is only one in a series of horse sculptures in what she calls her "Da Vinci" line of ceramic equine art that she started about a year ago.
     The steeds in the series "are not necessarily anatomically" proportioned, Mrs. Ritter said, but "are sculpted in a more contemporary style to catch their attitudes ad gestures."
     A Da Vinci horse won honorable mention last year at the Missouri State Fair "Top 50" art show. Another entrant, Mark Moseman, bought the piece for $800.
     He is a collector of art of the American plains," Ms. Ritter said. "It is now on display at the Great Plains Art Collection at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln."
     Ms. Ritter also does commissioned works in bronze and ceramics. One of her favorites is at Central Missouri State University. Dedicated eight years ago, it is a 6-foot-tall bronze statue of a sitting coed.
    Ms. Ritter, who grew up loving horses, also raises Fox Trotters on her eight acres. She's had as many as six at one time, but she's now down to two. Her herd of Da Vinci’s, however, stands at seven and shows no sign of stopping.
     "I really love sculpting them," she said. "Each one has its unique characteristics."