what i would give you

Kitmiller, Maryland

installed 2006

Vlad Dupre commissioned a piece for his Woodhill home and I surveyed the land, stumbling upon century-old gravestones and exploring the woods behind the Potomac River.  It was a tall order to make a piece that could speak to the legacy of this land and proudly occupy a central position on the farm. I was eager to let my creativity roar.

When Vlad revealed that he was inclined towards a piece that spoke about marriage, with allusions to Adam and Eve, in memory of his late wife Ibby Dupre, I was at a loss.  I felt completely incapable of articulating anything palatable.

What I Would Give You, a title borrowed from a poem Ibby Dupre wrote to one of her six children, was a transformational piece for me.  It took me by the hand and guided me towards a kind and insightful perspective of maintaining autonomy and identity within relationship.

This piece, in the end, magically reflects a part of each of us in relationship, as well as the presence of both of these individuals: Ibby dynamically leaning in with an engaged gaze and Vlad stirred deeply, proposing grounded expressiveness.