"In Cordes Matris" / "In the Mother's Heart"
Bas Relief, 38” H x 18” W x 8” D.
Clay original of Nicole and Child cast in resin, mounted on carved high-density urethane, colored with flat, opaque enamels with applied patina.
A rendition of Sgt Gee in the manner of sacred art, as influenced by work within Torgau Castle Chapel.
This project has literally been on my bench for about 2 years. For several reasons, I could not get it finished, probably because I wanted to get the facial expressions just so, on both Sgt Gee and on the infant. Having recently spent some time in Bavarian chapels studying their decorative arts, I found a combination of composition and coloration that I felt reflected the humanity and spirituality of Sgt Gee’s caring and her martial personality.
What undergirds my artistic work is my belief that our patriots safeguard our freedoms with their hearts, which guide their hands. This was especially true of Nicole Gee. A young woman, with a boundless love in her heart for the weakest among us, is famously known for the photo of her cradling a small Afghani baby at the Kabul National Airport. Nicole and many others were killed shortly there-after by a suicide bomber.
I sculpted this rendition of her, echoing “The Madonna and Child” because not much more in this world shows that Nicole's heart drove the actions of her hands, as she cradled the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, and asking nothing in exchange. Like I try to show in my other work, these small, countless acts of courage and care, which the young of this nation undertake daily in both peace and in combat, are what defend the religious and civic freedoms we so rightly cherish.
