Pierre Jordan Dubov

Pierre Jordan Dubov passed away on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at the age of 20. Born and raised in Austin, Pierre is survived by his parents, Valery and Phillip and his sister Madelaine, all of Austin. He is also survived by his uncle Stephen of Austin, uncle Christopher and aunt Collen of Austin, aunt Alexandra and uncle Steve of Los Angeles, aunt Anne and uncle Eric of New York, uncles David and David of Virginia, as well as grandparents Billie & John Clark of Holland, Michigan. He was preceded in death by his beloved grandmother, Lynda, who passed away at the age of 90 in November of last year. Her loss was especially difficult for Pierre, as she had nurtured his artistic ambitions by meeting and speaking with him often to explore their mutual love of art and the intellect.

With a life cut so short, it is difficult to imagine what might have been, but we knew Pierre as a talented artist with a gifted mind. We believe that he would have, through his art and complex force of personality, affected the lives of many more people than he did his brief time here with us. His parents nurtured their son's boundless exploration and provided him with a solid and loving home where he was buoyed by their support and encouragement. His sister, Madeleine, loved him with all her heart and follows his lead in her open and courageous nature.

His artistic bloodlines came from both sides. His paternal grandmother, Lynda, brought him into her studio and took him to symphonies, operas, art exhibitions and museums from Austin to Paris. His maternal grandmother, Billie, who is a sculptor of considerable note both here in Austin and in Holland, did the same, taking him the theater and into her studio to teach him how, among many things, to create molds and cast metal, which likely would have been his medium of choice had he lived to pursue it. His uncle Stephen is also a well-known and active sculptor here in Austin and across the country. He teaches sculpture and drawing from his studio, Atlier 3D, as well as at Austin Community College. He also took Pierre into his studio as an apprentice, teaching him about ceramics, drawing and aesthetics. Pierre spoke often with his uncle David, who is an actor, about life and literature and art. His uncle Christopher showed Pierre about the art of photography, which he had recently taken to heart with his typical passionate fashion.

As an artist, Pierre was subject to the powerful and often contradictory forces of creativity, which sometimes caused such raging conflicts of the heart and head as to make his life difficult to understand, if not unbearable to continue. It would false to speak of Pierre as if he was possessed of an insuperable optimism, driven with boundless energy and a had a plan to build a career, for the truth is that, like so many creative souls, he was tortured by self-doubt, paralyzed by the fear of human interaction and not yet capable of sustaining the single-minded determination necessary to support himself independently.

Difficult though these obstacles appeared to be, we--he and his family together--knew that they were not insurmountable. We were all working to help him overcome these challenges each and every day. Given the time, we believe that he could have discovered the way to cope in this world, but our time was simply cut short. Diligent though parents may be, it does not take but a single foolish mistake to undo the care and attention given to providing a safe and secure environment for their children to grow in. We are all deeply saddened in his absence, but we will all also be forever stronger, smarter and more loving as a result of having been given the privilege of knowing him.

His extended family, those good and close friends who surrounded him daily with love and attention, Sean, Brendan, Drew, Travis, Sujan, Jeevan and Ciara, also miss him dearly, yet know that he is finally at peace.

Contributions are best made to someone's life, but if the need to give is deemed necessary, money and/or time may be given on his behalf to either Garza High School or Hospice Austin.