>> Osgood: A GOOD DAY FOR CELEBRATING THE FAMILY TREE IS MOTHER'S DAY. >> I CAN'T IMAGINE MYSELF. ONE IS A SPECTACULAR MUSEUM RIGHT ON THE DONE UB. RESPECT DANUBE >> Reporter: YOU MIGHT SAY THIS IS THE STORY OF A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER… ( CHAINSAW BUZZES ) …AND A CHAINSAW. ALL MOTHERS ARE DIFFERENT; SOME ARE MORE DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS. MY MOM, EMILIE BRZEZINSKI, IS A SCULPTOR. SHE MAKES SCULPTURES OUT OF TREES– OLD, FALLEN, FULL-SIZE TREES. >> IS THIS IS A SCULPTURE MADE OUT OF MAPLES. >> Reporter: WHERE DID YOU GET THE LOG? >> Reporter: WHERE DID YOU GET THE WOOD? >> FROM A NEIGHBOR'S YARD. >> Reporter: DID THE NEIGHBORS KNOW YOU TOOK THAT TREE? >> OH, YES.
( LAUGHS ) >> Reporter: FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, SHE'S BEEN SLIPPING OFF TO HER BACKYARD STUDIO, PICKING UP HER FAVORITE AXE OR CHISEL, AND SEARCHING FOR THE SECRET SHAPES OF TREES. >> HOW MUCH DOES THIS WEIGH? WOULD I SAY TWO AND A HALF TONS. >> THERE'S A DIALOGUE WITH THE WOOD WHICH I TRY TO BRING OUT IN MY WORK. IF YOU NOTE THERE ARE HOLES, THERE ARE BREAKS, THERE ARE AREAS WHICH ARE COMPLETELY DRIED OUT. THERE ARE LUMPS AND BUMPS ON THE OUTSIDE.
WELL, THESE ATTEST TO THE HISTORY OF THE TREE. ONE OF THE REASONS I LOVE THIS TREE IS BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH HISTORY IN IT, AND IN MY CARVING IT, I BRING OUT THE HISTORY. I SHOW IT. >> Reporter: MOM, MOST MOTHERS AREN'T VERY HANDY WITH CHAINSAWS. >> WELL, WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I WAS TAKING ONE OF THOSE TESTS… YOU KNOW, YOU TAKE A TEST, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP, AND THEY SAID, "YOU ARE GOING TO BE A MECHANIC." ( LAUGHS ) >> Reporter: WHAT SHE DID BECOME WHEN SHE GREW UP WAS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, WIFE TO MY FATHER, ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER TO PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER. WHILE SHE HANDLED THE ROLE OF WASHINGTON POWER WIFE WITH GRACE, IT WASN'T HER ONLY ROLE. >> I CAME TO WASHINGTON AND I HAD TO MAKE A CHOICE. I EITHER HAD TO JOIN THE COCKTAIL PARTY CIRCUIT AND GO TO LADIES' LUNCHES, OR I HAD TO BE MYSELF AND BE AN ARTIST. >> Reporter: TO MY MIND, SHE DID BOTH– HELPED MY FATHER NAVIGATE THE ROUGH WATERS OF WORLD POLITICS…
>> ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE ME A KISS? >> Reporter: …AND REMAIN TRUE TO HERSELF. ALL ALONG, MY FATHER HAS BEEN HER BIGGEST FAN. >> ACTUALLY, ZBIGNIEW GIVES ME A LOT OF ADVICE. HE COMES HERE AND GIVES ME HIS IMPRESSION. HE'S USUALLY RIGHT. >> I'M THE VOX POPULI, THE PRIMITIVE REACTION. >> Reporter: SHE HAS HAD SOME SUCCESS. SEVERAL MUSEUMS HAVE EXHIBITED HER WORK, INCLUDING THE PRESTIGIOUS CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AND THIS WEEK, A MAJOR EXHIBITION OF HER WORK OPENED IN HER NATIVE SLOVAKIA. FROM THERE, IT WILL MAKE SEVERAL STOPS ACROSS EASTERN EUROPE. >> I MUST SAY, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE MY VISION. MY VISION WAS TO EXPRESS SOMETHING ENTIRELY MY OWN AND NOW WITH THE SHOWS IN EASTERN EUROPE, IS TO SHOW IT WHERE I CAME FROM. >> Reporter: WAS THERE A DEREASON YOU DECIDED TO PUT IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DRIVEWAY? >> NO. >> Reporter: BUT TO MY BROTHERS AND I, HER SCULPTURES HAVE SIMPLY BEEN THINGS THAT SUDDENLY APPEARED IN THE YARD; THINGS WE MOSTLY TOOK FOR GRANTED.
WHY IS THIS ONE CALLED "SLEEPING LADY"? >> IT'S JUST GOT A LANGUOROUS QUALITY TO IT. THE LINES SOMEHOW SUGGEST IT. >> IT'S REALLY FUN TO DRIVE THROUGH, AND WALK THROUGH. >> Reporter: ON THE ROAD LEADING TO MY PARENTS' FOREST RETREAT IN RURAL VIRGINIA, YOU HAVE TO PASS THROUGH ONE OF HER SIGNATURE WORKS– AN ARCH CRAFTED OUT OF OAK. >> THOSE ARE MY TREE SPIRITS. THE SOURCE ACTUALLY GOES BACK TO KOREA, BECAUSE IN KOREA, THEY ARE GUARDIANS OF THE FARMHOUSES. IT'S A LITTLE BIT LIKE HALLOWEEN. THEY'RE REALLY FOR CHILDREN. I PUT THEM UP THERE. THEY LOOK LIKE FREE SPIRITS. >> Reporter: AS WE BOTH GET OLDER, I'M TRYING HARDER TO APPRECIATE MY MOTHER'S PASSION. YOU CAN STILL SEE. ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT, I MEAN, I CAN'T EVEN CARVE A PIECE OF WOOD? >> WELL, YES, IT IS SURPRISING. ( LAUGHS ) >> Reporter: MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS– IT'S TRICKY BUSINESS. ALONG THE WAY, I DIDN'T GET IN THE WAY, DID I? >> LET'S JUST SAY THAT I CAN'T SEE MY LIFE AS BEING MORE PERFECT WITHOUT CHILDREN.
SO I THINK YOU WERE PART OF IT. I THINK HAVING A FAMILY IS IN A WAY A GATE TO WHATEVER SELF- EXPRESSION YOU HAVE. >> Reporter: BE HONEST: DO YOU SEE YOURSELF FIRST AS A MOTHER, WIFE, OR ARTIST? >> OH, THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ASK; IMPOSSIBLE TO ANSWER, BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL OF THOSE THINGS AT ONCE. >> Reporter: "ALL THINGS AT ONCE" SOUNDS LIKE A PRETTY GOOD DEFINITION OF A MOTHER. >> I LOVE THIS BENCH.
>> WELL, THIS BENCH IS CALLED "FLYING BENCH." IT TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE NICEST THINGS I'VE MADE. >> Reporter: AND IT'S ALSO, I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE, A GREAT PLACE TO SIT. >> IT HAS A NICE VIEW..