richards poey

   

A QUIET MOMENT

MARYJO
Edition Size: 6
Material: Bronze on limestone bench
Size: 36"h x 22"w x 9"d

My client for this sculpture was a widower, having lost his lovely wife to leukemia a year before. We talked a lot about his wife, her love of family, cooking, and the church. Unfortunately, he didn't have very good photographs of her, so we agreed that this sculpture woulkd not be a portrait, but rather a reflection of her life's interests. I, too, had been a widower. My wife of 30 years died in 1989, so I knew about grieving. I could relate. He gave me this commission. It was the largest piece I had ever done.

I wrote him afterwards, "I want to express my deepest thanks for having the confidence in me to create a lasting memorial for your late wife, Maryjo. The hug you gave me as the piece was being installed was very special to me, as it signified how much you liked my work and how much you loved your wife. Thanks for the opportunity and the memory.

I have put together this book documenting the entire process of creating the sculpture—from my initial clay conceptual sketches to the sculpture installed in your garden. I've included photos of your wife, photos of the model I used to capture the pose, foundry procedures as well as measurements and corrections I made to model the figure.

I hope you and your children will find this of value.

One last thing—I want to thank you for being such a wonderful client. Your faith in my creative abilities made the entire process joyful.