One of the most enjoyable, educational and inspiring visits we have made was our afternoon with Jim Brothers in his studio in Lawrence Kansas.  We met with Jim in his studio where he was putting the finishing touches on the 7 foot clay sculpture of General Eisenhower.  Jim's sculpting talents are displayed in the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA where he had designed and manufactured virtually all the statues at the memorial.  His current project, a 7 foot bronze statue of General Eisenhower, will ultimately be displayed along with a similar statue of Amelia Earhart, in Statuary Hall in the Capitol building in Washington DC.  Jim, pictured here entertained us with his vast knowledge of every aspect of the art from design to sculpting to forging.  

He also took us to the foundry where his art is turned into a final product through the skilled efforts of Terry Baldwin and his crew at Heartland Art Bronze Inc.  After making a rubber mold of Jim's clay sculpture, Terry makes a rubber mold and then "fires" a ceramic mold.  The ceramic mold is taken from the kiln and placed in the sand so that the molten bronze can be poured before the mold cools down.

The 70 year old sculptor's D-Day memorial statuary portrays the allied troops invasion of Normandy on June 6th 1944.  The 88 acre site pays homage to the sacrifice made by those troops in a massive air, land and sea attack on German positions in occupied France.  Brothers did some genuine soul searching prior to commencing the effort to determine if he "had what it takes" to properly honor the men who gave their all on the beaches of Normandy.  There is no question that he accomplished the goal of honoring those who gave so much to secure our freedom.  It was an honor to meet with Jim Brothers ... he has what it takes.