World-Renowned Sculptor to Create 14-Foot Marble Horse.

John Fisher's Lifelong Vision Comes to Fruition at Camden Monument Place

HOUSTON -- In September, world-renowned sculptor, John Fisher, began creating a magnificent new addition to the landscape of Fairfax, Va. Fisher has been working for months on the preliminary carving of a 14-foot-high and four-foot-wide monumental marble horse that will stand guard at Camden Monument Place in Fairfax.

According to Laura Little, Vice President of Real Estate Investments at Camden Property Trust, Fisher was selected to create this sculpture for the Fairfax community because "his ideas and experience as a marble sculptor fit the feel of the area. Fisher also sculpts on-site, which makes the process of his artwork more interesting and appealing." To determine his subject, Camden provided Fisher the historical background of the site, which was the location of the Battle of Chantilly, a Civil War battle.

When Fisher suggested a horse, Camden agreed it would be a perfect fit. Horses symbolize power and strength, appeal to many people, and have historically been popular in public art.

"The horse is a piece of art that has greatly influenced my life for years," said Fisher. As a youth living in Paris, he was fascinated by monumental sculptures throughout the city, especially those of horses. The horse's complex mass of bones and muscle is a challenging prospect to any artist, but Fisher embraced this opportunity.

Once the subject was decided, Fisher traveled to the mountains above Cararra, Italy in March 2006, and selected the appropriate block of marble. He then spent two months at a marble factory in Italy where he completed the first stage of sculpting. During that process, Fisher reduced the size of the marble block from 55,000 pounds to 40,000 pounds by roughing out the horse's figure in the block.

After chipping off 15,000 pounds of marble, he manually moved it away from the block, and secured the rough sculpture within a steel container. The container was transported by truck to Livorno, Italy, loaded onto a ship for the United States, and sent to Fairfax via Baltimore.

The marble block arrived in Fairfax and came to rest at Camden Monument Place on September 1, coincidentally the same date that the Battle of Chantilly began in 1862. Camden and Fisher have created a safety zone around the work site, and scaffolding so that Fisher may access the sculpture. Since the major stone removal was done in Italy, Fisher is now primarily using small air hammers and a drill or diamond saw to carve the horse. To prepare for this final sculpting stage, Fisher carved 17 horses from marble to ensure that he understood all the angles and contours of a horse's body.

Fisher will work from dawn until dusk from September through November, at which time the horse sculpture will be complete. When Camden Monument Place fully opens next year, Fairfax citizens will be able to gather and relax in the beautiful sitting area that will be in front of the sculpture. The white marble horse will stand out vividly against the red brick of Camden Monument Place and the many colors of the surrounding trees.

Camden Property Trust is a real estate company engaged in the ownership, development, acquisition, management and disposition of multifamily apartment communities. Camden owns interests in and operates 185 properties containing 63,449 apartment homes across the United States. Upon completion of 13 properties under development, the Company's portfolio will increase to 67,911 apartment homes in 198 properties.

For additional information, please contact Leslie Friedman of Pierpont Communications at 713-627-2223.