ABOUT · MAKING OF SERIES · A FAMILY'S LOVE
The making of
A Family's Love
A family held together in stone — and a love that never fades.
FORM
Memorial headstone
OCCASION
In memory of a daughter
STONE
Ōamaru limestone
THE PROCESS
From sketch to completion
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THE STORY
"I wanted to give a sense of movement — something that forms a heart, representing a love that never fades."
An old friend came to Brett with something that couldn't be put simply into words — a loss the family had carried for some years, and a wish to give it form. The brief was not a list of requirements. It was a feeling.
The sculpture depicts mum and dad embracing their little girl — their bodies forming a stylised heart shape, a sense of movement and holding that speaks of a love that does not end with loss.
It was important to Brett that the whole family be present in the piece. Her two brothers are carried in the design — their connection to their sister expressed through Māori designs carved into the figures of their parents, holding the whole family in one piece of stone.
Every element was considered carefully, and with great tenderness. This is one of the pieces Brett speaks of with the most quiet pride.
ABOUT THE NAME
"A Family's Love" was the only name that fit. Not the name of the person lost, not the name of the family — just what the piece is about. Love. And the way a family holds it, even after loss.
DESIGN ELEMENTS
The heart form
The overall shape of the sculpture — mum and dad embracing — creates a stylised heart through movement and form rather than symbol.
Mum and dad
The two central figures, embracing their little girl — rendered in full three-dimensional form from Ōamaru limestone.
THE MATERIAL
Ōamaru limestone is a soft, warm New Zealand stone — hand-carved, not machined. It weathers beautifully outdoors and holds fine detail with care.
Available for delivery locally or shipped professionally anywhere in New Zealand or internationally.
The little girl
Held between her parents at the centre of the piece.
The brothers
Represented through Māori designs carved into the figures of their parents — their presence woven into the stone on either side, holding the whole family together.
BRETT KENO · SCULPTOR · NEW ZEALAND