As Kentucky-based sculptor Douwe Blumberg made his way around Tualatin Lake at the Commons on Monday, April 28, he pointed out the necessity of having a stellar location to display artwork in, noting that a painting can be ruined by placing it in an ugly frame.

Douwe had brought along his crew following a 2,400-mile cross-country trip where they brought three pieces of artwork destined for installation in the recently opened Veterans Plaza.

“A beautiful site is like the frame for a sculpture,” Blumberg said. “You can set it off beautifully, and this site does. It just has everything going for it, and I think they’ve done a beautiful job with the (plaza).”

During his two days of work at Veterans Plaza, Blumberg oversaw the installation of the artwork at 8325 S.W. Nyberg St.

The pieces include the entrance artwork, “Flames of Honor,” as well as two interior pieces, “Wings of Freedom” and “Wings of Peace,” the latter two sculptures being two stylized pieces representing an eagle and dove, respectively.

Blumberg, who worked for 18 years as a horse trainer before dedicating himself to art fulltime in 2000, noted the importance of fine-tuning his pieces. He walked around to the other side of the lake to make sure the angles of the sculptures were set just right before being bolted down.

Fabricated in his Northern Kentucky studio, the sculptor beat out 42 other artists who had submitted their ideas for Veterans Plaza, a long-thought-out memorial dedicated to veterans of all military branches. It was designed by consultants Shapiro Didway.

“We’ve been working on this for close to a year,” said Blumberg. “We were here a year ago to interview and see the site and then I was selected, I don’t know, later in the spring.”

Lake at the Commons is home to the annual West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, which draws thousands to the city’s core area annually.

Blumberg is a prolific artist whose work includes a commissioned piece, “America’s Response Monument”, a bronze statue that sits in New York City’s Liberty Park, overlooking the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

The sculptor said he loves to use his artistic gift to honor veterans.

“It’s just very, very meaningful. My daughter is in the Air Force and my parents served in World War II,” he said, adding that he was very close to joining the military himself.

Blumberg’s Veterans Plaza pieces reflect the wishes of several Tualatin advisory groups who had requested that the plaza setting not reflect anything overtly violent or militaristic.

Both the “Wings of Peace” and the “Wings of Freedom” are made of aluminum, as are the birds’ accompanying swoops.

The “Flames of Honor” entryway piece is made from stainless steel with stained glass flames that will be illuminated with LED lights during the night.

“It’s kind of like an eternal flame taken apart to its elements,” he said, adding that he believes the piece will set the tone as people walk into the plaza.

Watching Blumberg and his crew install the artwork Monday, recently hired Tualatin Parks & Recreation Director Dustin Schull said the finished art pieces were impressive.

“They’re awesome. They’re incredible,” Schull said.

The city will host a formal dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony before the Tualatin VFW’s 10:30 a.m. Memorial Day observance set Monday, May 26, at the Lake at the Commons.