Honor * Cherish * Remember
Robert Girandola is a bronze sculptor following in the footsteps of his mentor, Sir Laszlo Ispanky. Robert is best known for his 2006 bronze masterpiece for NYC Firefighters for 9/11. Girandola reflects, “I remember the sense of awe and responsibility.” The Holland Tunnel was shut down when Girandola's first bronze was delivered to NYC. The piece was brought to Ground Zero and the men were then ceremoniously brought home to their engine house.
Girandola has honored others including his latest sculptures which stand atop a veterans monument designed by Brian Mann at The OmniGroup, LLC.
“I never imagined I would become so involved in other people’s lives.” Girandola states. “It is an incredible honor working with a client. I can think of no better feeling than to see their faces at an unveiling.”
Work Terms
Creating a bronze tribute is a complex process that involves the marriage of ideas, emotions and creativity with wire, clay, molds, wax, and bronze.
Having the right artist as a guide through this process is critical. When I start a project with a client, the first thing I do is talk in depth about the subject. Who are we honoring or what idea? How is it important to the client and why? My goal during this session is to connect emotionally to what the client wants to achieve.
The next step is to translate all the thoughts and emotions to clay. I use an oil based clay that never dries and has over a forty year history, tracing back to my mentor Laszlo Ispanky and his great works that span the globe. I believe there is a history and emotion in the clay that makes pieces come to life and each work I do carries more of that history forward. A pliable wire of pure aluminum is bent and shaped and then the clay goes over the wire. Tools are used along with my hands to push and pull and bend and mold the clay to the desired outcome.
ring the client back in for review.
This is a nice, natural stage in the process to make any changes as the clay is pliable and the opportunity is there. I have found, though, so far to this point, my clients have never asked for an edit – this is one of the most satisfying moments for me as an artist, to see their expressions, their emotions and their love for the work. I believe this is because of the time I take in the beginning of the process connecting to my client.
The next step is making molds of the clay. This step is also very important to maintain the integrity of the sculpture. The molds are used to make wax and then convert the wax to bronze. For this process I use Dana Stewart, a master in wax to bronze.