A Garden Arch for Stanley

Never Give Up
They say that good things come to those who wait, and such was the case for Connecticut Congresswoman, Rosa DeLauro. Every two or three years, Rosa thought to commission a piece in honor of her husband, Stanley Greenberg. Each request was met with a sincere apology. Whether there was not enough time to create the surprise in time for his birthday, or licensing opportunities were looming, it was always disappointing for both Karen and Rosa. Karen dreamed of balancing careers as both a licensed artist and a sculptor, yet she found that her time was extremely absorbed by the world of licensing.

Worth the Wait
Rosa, however, was determined. When her husband, Stanley Greenberg's, 60th birthday was approaching, she decided it was time, once again, to give Karen a call. With this phone call, she was thrilled to find that her timing was perfect. Karen was just beginning to delve back into the realm of fine arts. With several other recent requests for large-scale sculptures, she was finding herself re-inspired by the possibility of some major metal commissions. She had even begun to explore ways to do metalworking out of her new, smaller studio space.

Something New
With all of the sculpture brainstorms that were floating around in her head, Karen was able to provide Rosa with several options for the type of piece that could be created. The original flying people for which she's famous were at the top of the list, along with paintings, and other artistic creations. The choice that Karen was most excited to present was the garden arch idea that she'd been pondering for several weeks. The thought of creating one-of-a-kind arches, complete with plasma cut panels, was very appealing to her. In fact, she'd presented to Rosa the idea for a wedding arch that she'd envisioned for herself. So, she was thrilled when Rosa chose this piece. The next challenge was figuring out exactly how to personalize the garden arch for Stanley. As chairman and CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a public issues research and polling firm, Stan has worked with such famous political figures as Nelson Mandala, President Bill Clinton, and Vice President Al Gore. Karen knew that the importance of his career would have to be incorporated into the sculpture.

Put it in Writing
After much thought and research, Karen felt that the best place to start was with the words and phrases that have enveloped so much of Stan's life. Rosa listed the many international campaigns that Stan had been involved with and sent flags, sayings, and photographs to represent each one. Slogans, such as "Strong Britain, Strong Economy, Strong Leadership," "The War Room," and "Putting People First," soon became the focus of the panel designs. Also included were some of Stan's book titles, like The Two Americas and Middle Class Dreams. Many of the phrases were Stan's own words, which he had brainstormed for the various campaigns. It was thrilling for Karen as she began writing all of the sayings across huge pieces of steel and cutting them out using her plasma cutter. She truly felt like she was translating history as she created the 3 1/3 ft by 6ft side panels and the 2ft by 2ft curved arch pieces.

A Little Help From Friends
With all of her large metal equipment stored in Norfolk, Karen knew that the remainder of this project would be more of a challenge. However, with the help of some local, metalworking friends, she was able to get the job done. Karen worked with "Tim the Welder" to design and create the frame that would hold up the panels. From there, the frame and panels were brought to a local company called Blastech, where they were sandblasted to make it easier for the paint to adhere to the metal. Blastech also performed the final step, powdercoating. This technique is used in the automotive industry on cars and motorcycles, making the final pieces very durable against all weather conditions. Three colors of Rosa's choosing, purple, red, and orange, were powdercoated onto the metal panels.

Final Destination
After nearly a month of work, the arch was ready to be photographed and presented to Stan (in the form of a photo) during his birthday trip to California. He and Rosa were thrilled to finally have an original Karen Rossi piece that is so representative of Stan's career. The work that he does is a catalyst for transforming government and peoples' lives, through positive social and economical change. When you stand in the middle of the arch and read all of those words, it makes you feel good to realize that it represents change and the betterment of peoples' lives.