Fairfield artist and county honor veterans with sculpture

            

By Judith Faught

FAIRFIELD -

A new lawn decoration graces the front of the old Solano County courthouse honoring World War II veterans.  Titled "V Day," the black steel sculpture has a simple design of a large "V" on one side and a platform on the other.  The "V" stands for victory and the mini-stage stands for freedom of speech, said Raymond Carrington, the Fairfield artist who designed the piece.  "I would love people to use it," he said of the podium.

County Supervisor Duane Kromm describes the piece as dramatic and particularly likes the freedom-of-speech platform.

"To me, that's one of the great things about this country, the freedom to speak your mind. That's what people have died for," Kromm said. "It's probably something that mainly kids will play on and climb over, and that's OK. But anyone can go up and there and talk. I really like that."  If he were to sell the piece on the art market, Carrington would charge $10,000, but he offered it free to the county as long as officials agreed to display it in an appropriate place and be responsible for its upkeep.

    The county snapped up the piece and it was moved to the old county courthouse, 580 Texas St., on May 25.

It joins two other art pieces dedicated to veterans at the front of the old county courthouse: a statuette honoring those who served in World War I and the granite wall listing Solano County's war dead.

    A dedication ceremony is planned for V-J Day in September, marking the 55th anniversary of the day the Japanese officially surrendered in World War II.

   Carrington, a retired Vacaville high school math teacher, has set up the Carrington Foundation for Public Art to give away his art creations, some new and some as old as 30 years. He believes public art adds to the aesthetics of an area. While visiting Europe, Carrington saw art everywhere - from statues in parks to fanciful water fountains. He would like to see a similar celebration of art here.  But not everyone is eager for a Carrington original from the self-taught artist.  Two years ago, Carrington designed a 800-pound steel work that resembled a paper airplane, titled "Freedom." He offered the piece to the cities of Fairfield and Vallejo, which didn't accept them. Vacaville was interested but lacked a suitable location, according to Carrington. The Redding Municipal Airport happily accepted the piece, after Mather Airport in Sacramento balked at the cost of moving the sculpture and erecting a pedestal.  Another Carrington piece also had a hard time finding a home. Carrington designed a 10-foot-tall replica of a manila file folder that he wanted to see placed at a school. He envisioned students painting the work, using it as a billboard, or holding annual contests for students to decorate the piece. Armijo's principal was all for it, Carrington said, but the district decided not accept it. Vanden High School never returned his calls. Napa's Vintage High School personnel worried that students would hide behind it.  It will be going to a Travis elementary school.

     Travis Air Force Base has been the most enthusiastic about accepting Carrington's work, with more than 30 of his pieces located throughout the base at David Grant Medical Center, the Travis Air Force Base Museum and the air terminal.  Carrington served there from 1953 to "55, before teaching math at Vacaville High School for 35 years.

     Carrington doesn't actually create his larger sculptures, such as "Freedom" and the World War II Memorial. He designs the work on paper and then commissions Colfab Steel Corp. in Vallejo to do the heavy moving and welding work.  He works on the smaller pieces, mostly created from scrap metal. His work has been displayed at the Mondavi Winery, World Forestry Center museum and at the University of California, Berkeley.  His sculptures can be viewed online at www.carringtonfoundation.org

Judith Faught can be reached at jfaught@dailyrepublic.net