LF: First of all, I'm a sculptor because if s part of me. It's natural and was never preconceived. I thought at first that I wanted to be a painter, my paintings were good, and they sold; but this was before I discovered sculpture. The transition of physical form to sculpture is more immediate than in painting - I simply couldn't help myself.

MCM: How do you work - with a routine, a schedule - or do you just wait for an inspiration?

LF: When I work I work every day. When I need a break however, I take it; it may be for a few hours, days or weeks - whatever I need.

MCM: Many people are interested in the legends, stories, and information surrounding your work- does your work tell a story?

LF: Yes and no. To give an example of the yes, my works often relate legends, as for instance, in the HUMPBACK FLUTE PLAYER. Kokopilau, the Hopi name for my flute player, was a kachina - a man from the stars; he was fair-haired, blue eyed and had a great hump on his back. He accompanied the Hopi on their migrations. When they stopped from time to time on their journey, Kokopilau would take seeds from the hump on his back and scatter them around. As he played his magic flute, enough warmth was generated for the seeds' germination. He is, in effect, a pied piper, a Johnny Appleseed and fertility symbol all in one. He represents the magical and spiritual aspects of the miracles of life. My work represents my interpretation of this legend, but the reason I also said no is because even though explanation can greatly help in understanding a work of art, the work must ultimately stand on its own merit, independent of the artist, the story, or the explanation.

MCM: Why does the Indian serve as a continuing theme of expression?

LF: On a physical level I deal with subject, but my heart searches for what is hidden within the subject. Man is not his flesh anymore than the object is the art. The subject is the vehicle that houses the art. My subject is the spirit of man. I simply haven't found a more pleasing symbolic individual than the American Indian. Because of my beliefs, I am in harmony with most of their spiritual reality. So in the quiet of my studio, I create symbols of man endowed with their cultural traits. Symbols thus created, although visually bound to the Indian, are first and foremost symbols of man.