Brushing On History To The Mahaska County Freedom Rock
Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II stands next to his empty canvas, the huge Mahaska County Freedom Rock.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Freedom Rock was moved and placed at Calwell Park, just East of Oskaloosa, back in July. The cement was dry and waiting for the artist to arrive in 2019.
Well, it’s not 2019, but Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II has arrived to paint the rock. On Tuesday afternoon he was getting his first look at the rock in person, and preparing to primer his unique canvas.
Once the process gets started, Sorensen is at a rock location between 6 and 8 days from start to completion.
About a week before heading to Oskaloosa to paint the rock, Sorensen begins the creative process by investigating the region’s military history. He also utilizes the idea that the committee in charge of the rock sends to him for inspiration.
Sorensen gets photos of the rock beforehand, “but still, nothing beats showing up” to see the rock in person, and planning how those ideas will translate to a three-dimensional object.
Sorensen created the original ‘Freedom Rock’ in 1999, after being inspired by the movie ‘Saving Private Ryan’. Since that time, every May, Sorensen creates a new thank you to the men and women who have served the United States in the military. “That’s my gift to veterans,” says Sorensen. “I’ve just always had a soft spot in my heart for veterans.”
Thinking it would be nice to see a freedom rock in each county, Sorensen opened it up so that the first town in each county to express an interest would then be eligible to have him create one for that community.
The one being painted just East of Oskaloosa on Highway 92 at Caldwell Park is the 39th rock to be painted in the state.
The painted mural is expected to last for decades once completed. Sorensen said he uses a silica paint that can last up to 100 years but, with the ravages of Iowa weather, an exact time-frame would be difficult to determine. The paint is unaffected by UV light, and should be resistant to fading.
If the mural was to weather, Sorensen says that, if he’s still around when the mural begins to deteriorate, he would love to be able to come back and facilitate the repairs to the mural, “whenever and wherever I can”.
Sorensen talked about one of those moving moments when working at a location. While he was painting a gold star mother leaning down to a grave, a gold star mother and a gold star father both visited Sorensen that very same day, and he was touched by the stories of those families who lost loved ones. “To hear from them, and to hear they appreciate the artwork,” Sorenseon said his artwork is only but a small token.
When it comes to the Mahaska County Freedom Rock, Sorensen is leaning towards highlighting some Civil War Generals, Elliott and Samual Rice, two brothers from Oskaloosa. Also, potentially making his way onto the rock is Admiral Fletcher. Fletcher, born in Oskaloosa, was the winner of the Medal of Honor and had an entire class of destroyers named in his honor. The Fletcher-Class destroyers are an iconic piece of WWII history.
“There are a lot of generals and admirals from here,” said Sorensen.
For the next week, Sorensen will be out at the site working on his creation and paying honor to the veterans of Mahaska County.
If you want to know more about the ‘Freedom Rock’ and Sorensen, you can visit his website HERE.
