The Sculpture Gallery

Lawrence Beck; a.k.a "Larry" Beck was a Seattle born sculptor who pursued a style of assemblage abstract in artistic sculpture. Beck was one fourth Native Alaskan, and he was able to draw both inspiration and conflict from his mixed lineage. Throughout his life, Beck was able to create fine masterpieces out of assembled objects, forming public structures, industrial artworks and Inuit inspired masks. Beck started out with painting at the University of Washington, under the tutelage of artists Everett Du Pen and George Tsutakawa. He was also able to teach at the University of Oregon later on.

As a sculptor, Beck began creating works on a large scale. He patronized abstract expressionism and slowly built a reputation for himself as a sculptor, accumulating several art awards and recognitions. He was very fond of using found objects to manipulate into his composition. His 1986 artwork; Punk Walrus Inua was made with whitewall tire, baby moon hubcaps, safety pins, dental mirrors and many other unrelated things. He found his parts from junkshops and old yards, accumulating them in number, till they were enough for him to make use of. Today, Beck's sculptures can be found at the Golden Gate Park in Seattle, the Bellevue Art Museum, the University of Alaska in fairbanks, and many other places around the United States.

In 1987, Stanley Bleifeld was commissioned to create a suitable sculpture for the United State Navy Memorial. Modeled after Dan Maloney; a petty officer, The Lone Sailor is a commemorative sculpture to celebrate the hard work and effort of all sea service personnel. Blefield specifically wanted a model similar to Maloney's because he did not jive well with the more traditional honor guard models of the Navy heritage. One interesting fact was that the bronze material melted for The Lone Sailor came from things gathered from eight different Navy ships. These were provided by the Naval Historical Center.

While there are other copies of The Lone Sailor all around America, the original still embodies the true commemorative purpose of the Navy Memorial. Standing tall and proud, the sculpture gives viewers a captured look into the eyes of a man on a journey. The gestured pose of the sailor is certainly a memorable one, showcasing a traditional seaman's gaze off into the sea.