The sun was just coming up over the Normandy coast at about 5 a.m. on June 6, 1944 — D-Day.

The military planners had given Canada a major role on D-Day: to take one of the five designated beaches where Allied forces were to land to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany.

The Americans had Utah and Omaha beaches in the west, then came the British at Gold, then the Canadians at Juno Beach and finally the British at Sword on the east.
About 155,000 soldiers, 5,000 ships and landing craft, 50,000 vehicles and 11,000 planes were massed for the greatest seaborne invasion in history. The greatest seaborne invasion in history was aimed at 80 kilometres of mostly flat, sandy beach along the Normandy coast, west of the Seine River, east of the jutting Cotentin Peninsula. Canada’s objective was right in the middle.

For Canada, 14,000 soldiers were to land on the beaches; another 450 were to drop behind enemy lines by parachute or glider. The Royal Canadian Navy supplied ships and about 10,000 sailors. Lancaster bombers and Spitfire fighters from the Royal Canadian Air Force supported the invasion. The units were from across the country; from east to west, from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, to the Canadian Scottish from Victoria.

The Canadians who landed on Juno Beach were part of Britain’s Second Army, under the command of British Lt. General Miles Dempsey, who had served in North Africa and Italy with the overall British commander, Bernard Montgomery. The Canadian assault forces were the Third Canadian Infantry Division, commanded by Major General R. F. Keller and the Second Canadian Armoured Brigade, with Brigadier R.A. Wyman in charge.

The bombardment of the beaches began at 6 a.m. Within an hour the lead landing craft were away from the ships. Two hours later, the German defences at Juno Beach had been shattered and Canada had established the beachhead. That day 359 Canadians were killed in action on the beaches of Normandy. This year, on the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, the Juno Beach Centre commemorates their sacrifice by installing 359 Tribute Markers – one for every Canadian soldier killed in action on D-Day – on Juno Beach.

In honour of all the soldiers who fought for our freedom, this piece is called “Lest We Forget”. The character’s face is based on Cpl. Clement Gosselin, WWII veteran who served as a wireless operator at Juno Beach. Now 91, he is one of a handful of living WWII vets. His portrait is featured on the cover of the June 2014 Reader’s Digest. When I picked up the publication I was struck by the strength and determination on his face and knew I had to try and capture his image. Here you see the process of how I sculpted his portrait.

http://www.facebook.com/saracinocollection          www.saracinocollection.com

For more on the Battle of Normandy visit these links

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/d-day-the-allied-invasion-of-normandy-1.775929
http://www.junobeach.org

Sometimes a sculpture reveals itself to the artist while it is being sculpted, but sometimes an object triggers an idea and the artist has to coax it into being.
This sculpture started when I bought this wrought iron bistro set from a fellow exhibitor at a show. It sat on my work table for almost six weeks while I mulled and sketched different concepts. Finally, the decision was made and the project was started. The whole creative process took 14 days from start to finish. I documented it along the way so you can see the process.
The finished piece is called “Coffee Break Generations” and the dimensions are 22″ wide x 18″ high x 15″ deep.

You can see it on my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/saracinocollection (don’t forget to “like” the page)                   or visit my YouTube page below.

Step into my studio and enjoy!

Let me know how you feel about this piece.  Which side of the table are you on? Does technology frustrate you or do you embrace it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHn3DHF7ld4&feature=youtu.be

Figureworks.org selects an artist and one painting or sculpture each month to showcase on their website at http://www.figureworks.org
My sculpture “Gossip in the Park” was selected as Artwork of the Month for May.
Check out the website or click on the page at http://www.figureworks.org/aotm/index.html

This piece is currently on display at the Orange Art Gallery located at 290 City Centre Drive in Ottawa, ON

Last night was the opening of the Orange Art Gallery. It was an awesome night with hundreds of people coming through the exhibit and the new building. It was so exciting to see and hear people’s reactions to my work. Most people were not familiar with my medium so there were lots of questions.
What I always enjoy is how people connect with the sculptures. Often they see something familiar in the face – sparking a memory of someone they love. There is often an emotional response – mostly smiles and laughter, ocassionally tears. People always share these memories or stories which often leads to ideas for my next sculpture. For an artist there is nothing more satisfying that seeing your audience connect with the art.
Sometimes art mirrors real life –

At the Orange Gallery opening, these three friends connected with “Gossip in the Park”
right away. They saw themselves right down to hair colour and how they dressed. The lady on the left is a school teacher and she entertains her friends with stories about her students all the time. They recognized themselves and to my delight, reinforced what I was trying to capture in the piece. Friendship . . . hanging out with your girlfriends . . . laughter . . . Life’s simple pleasures. Add a little wine, like these ladies did, and it’s a perfect night.
This man attended a demonstration I gave last weekend. I was sculpting a head and he was watching. Suddenly people around us starting pointing out how much they looked alike. He was a great sport, hammed it up and let me take a picture.

People often ask me if I model my sculptures after anyone in particular. The answer is always yes and no. Subconsciously I think certain features keep popping up from my own memories or from people I know. Sometimes I meet someone who’s features strike me and sometimes it’s deliberate.
Don’t forget to check out my website at http://www.saracinocollection.com
or my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/saracinocollection

Orange Gallery Exhibit Introduces Figurative Artist Maria Saracino!
April 10 to May 11, 2014
290 City Centre Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario
The Orange Art Gallery would like to welcome everybody to visit their new location and celebrate their 4 year anniversary since entering the Ottawa Art’s Scene.
Their collection of local contemporary artists include 14 sculptures by Figurative Artist, Maria Saracino.
Orange Art Gallery is open Wednesdays 11am to 5pm, Thursdays 11am to 9pm, Friday to Sunday 11am to 5pm.

Here’s one of the sculptures at the Orange Gallery.

It’s called “Gossip in the Park”.