The story of Caughley Porcelain really begins in 1772. 
     The late 18th century was a time that changed western history forever. 
     In Shropshire, England, the first glimmers of the industrial revolution and modern, world-market types of manufacturing and entrepreneurism had started to stir.  It was, somewhat, the 18th century's equivalent of today's California Silicone Valley; companies sprang up near Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge, and Shrewsbury in central western England, producing all types of new, inventive goods.  In the middle of this manufacturing oasis, proprietors Thomas Turner and Ambrose Gallimore opened shop, and began to produce porcelain that imitated the Oriental design (in particular the much-copied 'Willow Pattern') that was all the rage since tea had become a fashionable new drink throughout Britian.  Caughley Porcelain rose to become a major industry force of the late 1700s, until Mr. Turner's poor health forced the company's sale in 1799 to Coalport. 
     Now the pastured, hilly area around Shrewsbury is a UN World Heritage site, restored and reopened as museums.  "It's hard to imagine how it was such a smoky, thriving, inventive area," says Richard Benzing, sculptor and owner of Caughley Porcelain.  Richard Benzing is a man who is serious about local history, and serious about ceramics.  After studying Fine Art and Ceramics and the Birmingham College of Art, he and a friend set up a successful porcelain restoration company to repair pieces for museums and for antique dealers.  Most of the 70,000 items he had to restore were 18th and 19th century figures and vases from the  factories of Meissen, Chelsea, Worcester, and Sevre... 

(text copyright Art Horse Magazine and Lyne Raff 2005) 

     Baroque... 
     Evoking images of a classic curvilinear form, ornate, graceful, and suggestive of dramatic, flourishing movement, this one word encapsulates the architecture and superior form of an unequaled equine breed.  Sweeping romantic manes, convex profiles, and collected compact bodies vibrating energy will rein one close enough to feel the hot breath of ancient Iberian spirit within their own souls.  Give pause, and revel with me in the world of the Andalusian. 
     Through several millennia, the sustained demand for the Spanish horse is really quite remarkable.  Even though the number of registered Andalusians in America is marginal compared to the numbers in Europe, the enthusiasm of the breeders for their horses is certainly unmatched.  Recently relocated from Lake Jackson and situated just 30 miles east of the capitol city of Austin, in Mc Dade, Texas, Rancho Del Lago is a superb example of an equestrian facility that specializes in breeding, raising, and showing both Peruvian Pasos and PRE Andalusians... 

(text copyright Art Horse Magazine and Shannon Southard 2005)

     I love museums.  I especially love the Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 
     The Cowboy Museum was a place that's been a big part of my early years.  I grew up in northern Oklahoma, and over the course of my childhood, near-yearly school trips and family pilgrimages to the museum were always special times.  It's the first museum I ever visited, and the art and history I saw there filled me with wonder every single time.  Later, I grew up and became a professional artist, and I definitely count my visits to the Cowboy Hall of Fame (as it was known in the 60s and 70s) as some of my biggest artistic influences. 
     At the risk of sounding selfish, I'll admit that part of the appeal of the place was that it was filled with things I could relate into my own life.  There were rifles just like ones my Great-Grandfather had, and historic images very like those in my own family--perhaps even of people known to them.  There were pieces of equipment exactly like things my Dad used to use.  Every room had something in it that grounded me squarely into a Western heritage... 

(text copyright Art Horse Magazine and Lyne Raff 2005)