This piece is a return to the world of sculpture for me. I have worked almost exclusively in stoneware pottery for many years, but after watching video of early automata I felt a drive to give a simple moving figure a try. This piece represents the day to day "rat race" or in this case, "squirrel race," from season to season, constantly moving, gathering to sustain ourselves. Many of the pieces of this work were themselves gathered from flea markets or trash piles over the course of many years. I make an attempt to use repurposed materials whenever possible, and this work is almost entirely composed of items that I had on hand. Old barbeque spit motors power the movement of the canvas, squirrel, and bell ringing device. The lumber to build the casing was milled down from a large scrapped panel from my father-in-laws retired woodworking business, and the punched metal was a discarded baking pan. I find great joy in giving old items new life.