Thauberger credits the influence of the well-known sculptorDavid Gilhooly whose non-exclusionary approachto creating art inspired Thauberger to begin working with clay at homein 1969. The following term Gilhooly invited him to work in hisuniversity studio. For the next year and a half Thauberger continued tocreate sculpture with a funk style and content derived from Gilhoolyand others before going on to graduate school in Sacramento and laterat the University of Montana in Missoula.