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GAZETTE

A Mother’s Journey Continued

May 2010

         I’ve known of David for several years, but I met him for the first time in that summer of 2007 and have since emailed often, talked on the phone, and visited in person.  Often I bombarded the dear artist with a barrage of commentary and criticism that didn’t let up until I was satisfied at every turn. 

         “Please fix that ear on Baby Jesus.  I need to see a delineation between Mary’s veil and her hair.  I want facial expressions to be reflective, pleasant, pleasing, yet mindful of history’s serious story.  Mary must be fine featured, pretty -- beautiful, in fact.  Put more meat on the Child; I don’t want a skinny Baby.  I don’t want dark brown bronze.  I want it to be light and lovely and golden in the sun.  Please send me bronze samples.”

         David, always patient and helpful, ultimately called in another sculptor, David Lind, to collaborate on the faces for me and to assist with other parts of the major undertaking.  Mr. Lind’s mother had recently died, and this work on the Madonna was healing for him.

***

         Allan and I left Victoria on Wednesday, April 7th, 2010, and spent the first night of our five day road trip at the stately bed and breakfast in Rensselaer, Indiana.  Called The White House, it was lovely as can be.  Allan had found it on the internet. 

         The next morning, Thursday, April 8th, we took off about 8:00 a.m. and landed around noon at the monument shop in Corydon, Indiana.  David was waiting for us, and so was our Ave Maria who was standing outdoors in the sun, as I said, and since this was the very first time I saw her in person, I won’t forget it.  She was awesome.  Breathtaking, in fact.  David was also smiling.  We hugged and I introduced him to Allan.  Then he brushed a little more wax on the beautiful lady who turned the heads of every passerby.

         David has his own private studio about fifteen miles away, at his home in the countryside of Laconia, but, as he said, Corydon had the necessary equipment for sandblasting the sculpture and for conveying the 300-pounds into my truck. 

         I had earlier learned from David that the historic city of Corydon was home to the Kintner House, a quaint bed and breakfast where past U.S. presidents had stayed.  Allan and I got William Henry Harrison’s room.  Very nice, but those clawfoot bathtubs can be a little tricky.

         After the Ave Maria was comfortable in the back of our pickup truck, we parked it at the Kintner House, climbed into David’s PT Cruiser, and sped with him to the picturesque countryside of the Kocka home.  He and his wife Judy designed and built their nest here about 20 years ago.  In the construction Judy even helped with  chinking, a process where cement is troweled between timbers.  The artist’s home is warm and inviting with big wood, big stonework, and many pieces of David’s artwork, including his paintings as well as his sculptures.

         Only four miles to the south of David and Judy’s home is the Ohio River and the Kentucky border but we didn’t visit nearby Louisville.  We had a mission and it was not in that direction.

         The Kocka spread (by the way, it’s pronounced Kotchka) is 180 acres of rolling hills, green meadows, a small lake, hay land, and trees green or blooming.  It is easy to see why they love their home and like to spend as much time there as possible.

 

Click here to continue A Mother’s Journey.

Al Orsen looks on as Father Bernardine Hahn, OFM, standing in the parking lot of the monastery at St. Louis, Missouri, blesses the bronze sculpture reclining in the bed of the Gazette’s pickup truck.