Lakich's
grandfather owned marble quarries in Jugoslavia before World War II and the
Communist takeover. His marble, said to be second only to Carrara marble,
built many of the churches there. Lakich has visited the churches and monasteries
along the backroads of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia; she has studied
their Byzantine icons, frescoes and mosaics. They remain a powerful influence
in her work.
