Cattle and horses have played a major role in Tom Moss's life ever since he was a young boy sketching them at his home in southern Texas and later in Louisiana . His love of animals led Moss to choose animal husbandry as his major at Louisiana Tech, where he was captain of the livestock judging team and rode bulls and bareback broncos. Still later, he trained quarter horses and bred Arabians, so it was only natural that when he began to paint and sculpt, his subjects would be animals.

With all that experience, the 61-year-old Moss should be able to create a sculpture of cattle from memory. Not so, he says. To this day, after years as a sculptor, he refers to anatomy books and videotapes of animals in action to ensure authenticity in his work. This exactness carries over into each facet of his work whether the subject is cowboys, Indians, or wildlife. Moss insists that the saddle, clothing, and other paraphernalia accurately reflect the time and place he is portraying, and much of his time is devoted to research.

Moss's works can be found in collections throughout the United States and as far away as Japan and England. His collectors include Gregory Peck, who bought one of Moss's pieces because it reminded him of his role in “The Gunfighter”. Dale Robertson, who bought each piece of a four-part series; Ilke Sommer; and many of the big oil companies in Texas and Oklahoma who have collected a full series of the artist's work.

Moss arrives at his studio early each workday, feeds his horses, and settles into a full morning of work. “I like to work alone,” he says, but he doesn't feel he has to push himself if the creative spirit is lagging. Moss creates four to six sculptures a year with 30 editions each.

“I'm learning every day, “Moss says. “I still am trying to make a statement in clay or wax. I consider it an honor that people buy my work because they like it, not just for an investment. I can't imagine doing anything else. The life or feeling in my work comes from inside me through my hands and fingers. It is almost religious.”