The title of this statue, Chaos, came to me while carving the base. I was thinking how many things in life are chaotic - without apparent meaning or motive. The universe is thoughtless, other people are thoughtless - at least in regard to our lives and our choices. Things seem to happen - routinely, and often - by chance, at random. So how do we respond to chaos?

The expectant mother here does not worry too much about global things. At least she is not concerned and worried about everything that happens in the world. Her world, at this moment, is very centered on her unborn child. I wonder what her thoughts might be?

Her hair is rather interesting. Women mostly do not wear their hair this long. When my wife was having our first child, her hair was this long. I think it is lovely and soft. A woman with this much hair spends time each day taking care of it. Part of her world is soft and timeless.

The stone is Indiana gray limestone, or Texas Leuders limestone. It is somewhat coarse and has random inclusions which show up as flaws or coloration at the surface. As you look around the statue, you will find several flaws in the stone, and many bits of darker material that are part of the stone.

The stone is relatively soft, which is why I carved this leaving extra material on the neck. The statue is "massive" and solid. It might survive being dropped, though I hope you do not try it.

The alternate name for this statue is "E3", the third in a series of what I am calling evocative or representational. It also happens to be the third in a series of statues I am carving for my daughter, Emily, and her friends.

Although I have found many dozens of words that somewhat capture what I am trying to do with these statues, I have not found a single word that fits exactly. Representational is not bad, since I am trying to carve things that represent a whole class of things in the world. This statue represents many women, standing in just this manner, this late in their pregnancy.

When I was preparing to do this piece, I took many different pregnant women, in many stances, with many body shapes - then tried to distill out the essence of what they all showed me. When hands can take on hundreds or thousands of variations, the image in my mind is a blur of those many hands. So I have to leave the hands as abstractions, to generally indicate what I am seeing as I try to bring all those images together.

Again, I have somewhat polished the breasts, stomach and face. These are the important and attractive elements of the statue, as are the hips and arms. The skirt is rough. The hair is long and silky, but with body.

The statue is intended to be touched. If you close your eyes and run your hands over the statue, you will feel, somewhat, the kinds of images that come to me as I am carving.

The oils from many hands will gradually bring a patina to the statue, showing all the many people who have interacted with the statue. Do not scrub this away. If you need to clear or dust that statue, then use warm soapy water (dish soap), an old soft washrag - soap, and rinse well. If you are careful, you can put it in the sink or bathtub on an old towel to protect the sink - wash and rinse it well. A soft stiff brush, like a 2" paint brush is a convenient way to dust. Just go over the whole statue and brush firmly.

The stone is natural, with no finish or sealant. If you spill red wine on it, it will stain. There are oils and sealants that can be used if you think it will get rough treatment.

If you have children, let them touch it. If they color it, leave the color and enjoy the memories. Encourage their creativity. If they bang on it, spank them and give them something to carve