It was the beginning of my career, when I could not yet afford a model, so often I held the pose in a mirror while sculpting with my left hand. Balance did not represent a school or a place from my life, but rather it was exactly the moment I was standing. It represented the freedom to be myself and create my very own orbit, an orbit that would grow and I would share with the world. Balance is courageous and powerful, graceful and feminine. And now, years later, it has become an iconic work, helping to establish my place in contemporary figurative art. ~ Paige Bradley