I made the woman heavier than she would be in proportion to the man, because I wanted to leave open the possibility that she is pregnant.

The child is male or female. Since the parents both have long hair, the child's hair is long. But it could be either sex. The father's hair is long since Emily said your hair is long.

The parent's faces are nearly featureless. The gazes are forward, not necessarily on the child. They are looking to the future, more than at any particular thing. I say nearly featureless; I did not make them polished spheres, but left somewhat random shapes in the faces. I intentionally left many interpretations for the shape and emotions in the faces.

I made the parents "fused at the hip"; they are very close, almost merged. This was deliberate, since I see them as a single unit supporting the child. The father's shoulder is outside the mothers, protecting her.

The figures are massive and clothed. This is for several reasons. First, to insure the integrity and strength of the piece. Limestone is a fairly forgiving stone, but it is soft and would not stand up to dropping - if I made the figures thin and separate. I wanted to convey closeness and softness to represent the care of the parents for the child. But there is also the strength of stone in their firm stance towards the child's future.

I do not have a name for the style I am using, but I am temporarily naming it "Evocative". The hands, for instance, are complex and deliberately vague. When you look at any part of the statue, I want your mind to be flipping between possibilities. Is the hand facing inward or outward? Is it grasping or pointing? The more possibilities that come to mind, the better I am meeting the style. It is my intention to give you many statues, not just one.

The stone is either Indiana limestone or Leuders. I think it is Leuders, which is a Texas limestone. There are a few small flaws in the stone, I tried to carve to minimize them.

I carved from a piece of architectural limestone - a piece of stone intended for the outside of a building. I carved the figures to the absolute limit of the stone to make the most use of the stone. The front of the base is from the original shape of the stone. The chip on the right front of the base was there when I started. When you are moving the statue, start by tipping it to the right or left, then pick it up. If you tip it forward, you are likely to break the edge of the base which is pretty thin. Carefully set it down to avoid breaking the edges.

The statue took about 25 hours to carve. Since I was not sure how strong the stone would be, I carved slower and more carefully than usual. About 16 hours went into roughing the figure, and the remainder into finishing and refining. I removed about twenty pounds of stone.

Limestone will absorb oils and moisture. From my experience, and preference, it is good to let people touch the statue, as it will pick up the oils from their hands. Over time the piece will take on a human patina that will enhance its value and feeling.

If you happen to spill something on it, you can use soap and water and a scrubbing sponge. It is pretty hard. Dust with a moist or oiled cloth. I will find an oil for you to use. This will protect it from stains and allow you to see the color of the stone better.

The piece can used outdoors, but limestone is pretty soft and will wear out. I hope you can keep it indoor. I can help you find or build a base for it.

The statue should last a lifetime or two. I hope it bring you a lifetime of pleasure.

I initialed and dated the piece on the bottom. RC 2/2010 E1. E1 is Evocative 1.