The artist, Loren Lorenzo, estimates he will have spent 35 to 40 hours on the piece by the time the carving is finished. Lorenzo, a Xenia native, plans to add color to the piece.
“”I’m going to paint the rim orange and the basketball orange,” he said. “The rim will be white. The background will have a stain that will darken it slightly which will make this (the wooden athlete) pop. The face, legs and the arms will all stay natural wood.”
In addition to serving as a tribute to the former basketball player, the carving is also a source of inspiration for the children who play in Shawnee Park, Lorenzo said.
“They watch me carve it,” he said. “They come up. They ask questions. They stand and watch me. It actually inspires them to create. I think that’s an awesome thing.”
Read more about this story over at mydaytondailynews.com.
About the Author