Valerie's Otter  is named after the friend who commissioned it.   I love observing otters in the wild, but to get predictably close observations of a river otter’s form and behavior I spent a day sculpting a small reference model at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo.   It was a day of whirling activity.   I was immersed in the rhythms of the constantly moving otter as it spiraled through the aquarium.   I was also immersed in a wonderful flow of constantly moving school children who enthusiastically joined me in my temporary studio!