The Color Guard 

11 September 200l changed the lives of millions of people around the world.  I felt shock and denial as I saw the twin towers of the World Trade Center crumble to the ground and the devastation at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.  Watching the continuous news reports, I tried to make sense of the attack on America.  One of the news anchors gave a dismal report and conveyed by his tone of voice that there was no hope for the future, that we would continue to witness only ugliness and gloom.  (At least that is the way I interpreted his words.)  We had been violated, attacked on our own soil, but deep inside I felt that we could press forward with hope.  His words disturbed me and I began to think that something of beauty would, even must, come from this overwhelming tragedy.  Continuing to watch the non-stop news reports, I saw a glimmer of optimism on the screen that I was longing for.  A rescue worker, who narrowly escaped being buried by the falling debris, staggered from the dust shrouded rubble and collapsed onto the curb gasping for air.  Another man in a clean business suit rushed to his aid to help clean off his face and loosen some of the restrictive clothing so the rescuer could breathe. The small spark of optimism was being fanned into a glowing flame as I observed from within the war-torn monochromatic scene numerous miracles as strangers began helping strangers.  

In this frame of mind, I entered my studio.  I had been commissioned to design a sculpture of an eagle for a company and decided that it was a good day to start the project.  I needed to brush aside my feelings of gloom and create an object of beauty, something that helped me look positively toward the future.  The piece developed into an eagle rising above a cloud of dust that parted into two columns at the eagle’s feet (representing the twin towers).  I showed the piece to my wife and told her this piece had a different mission than I had intended.  I worked throughout much of the night feeling satisfied with the direction and attitude of the piece.  When the sun rose on September 12, I felt a little of what Francis Scott Key must have felt when he saw the star spangled banner still waving in the dawn.  Once again the sun rose over America, people still bravely fulfilled their responsibilities, and the Nation was standing taller and stronger than before.  I recognized that this was a pivotal point in our country’s history.

As the week progressed, I watched in awe as schools, government leaders, organizations, and churches rallied for the cause of freedom with a humble plea to the All Mighty, for indeed our motto is “In God We Trust”.  Citizens from the four quarters of the country searched for ways to help relieve the pain and suffering of all the victims and their loved ones.  Equipped with a new frame of mind, I again entered my studio with a resolve to rise above the horror of terrorism.  I cut away the cloud of dust at the eagle’s feet just as the United States cut away the patriotic apathy we experienced before September 11.  In its place I draped “Old Glory” clutched in the eagle’s right talon being lifted from off the ground, symbolizing the rebirth of America’s patriotism.  I chose to create an American Bald Eagle, symbol of the United States.  Then, I began adding many small details, each containing its distinct symbolism.  The left talon is outstretched, ready to defend.    The curved shape of the wings demonstrates a posture of protection for those within its shadow.  Extreme care was taken to position the flag with the proper protocol, so that it could be viewed correctly from the left side, right side, front, or back; symbolizing setting aside the political differences as unity swept the country. The posture of the eagle, leaning forward and rising upward, reflects the direction we must take in order to overcome all attacks on America.

May the light of patriotism continue to burn within each American and ignite a fire of patriotism that will glow from coast to coast.

This sculpture was started and is dated 11 September 2001.  It will be cast in an edition of 50, representing each of the individual States in the order that it joined the Union.  Example: #1 Delaware, #2 Pennsylvania and so on through #50 Hawaii.  The edition number and corresponding State name will be inscribed into the finished bronze.  I will produce five artist copies, one for each of our daughters and one for my wife and myself.  I am creating a one and one half life-size monument of the eagle to be cast in an edition of eleven (plus one foundry and one artist copy) totaling thirteen, each representing one of the original thirteen colonies.  I will be sculpting a life-size edition and others sizes, scaled either up or down, in the future.

"Life Size Color Guard"