A massive bronze and marble monument commemorating the U.S. Navy's role in the D-Day invasion sits prominently atop the highest point on the English Channel in Normandy. It was fashioned by Fairhope sculptor Stephen Spears. "I've done artwork all of my life," says Stephen Spears. "From the earliest age, I would draw everything. I had a passion for the pencil. I loved to do photo-realism type illustrations and very detailed stipple pen-and-inks. But when it came time to start a career, people were saying, 'Now what are you going to do? You can't make a living doing art.' Unfortunately, I took that to heart." His passion for the pencil led to drafting and design work at the time when computer-aided design tools started their rise in popularity. "The older guys on the drawing boards didn't want anything to do with that crazy stuff," says Spears, who spent the '80s as a high-dollar contract consultant to the likes of IBM and Sony. "I was young, eager. So I learned each new tool as soon as it was introduced." Corporate success eventually lost its luster. Meanwhile, he found himself bumping into collectors of his earlier drawings who asked what he'd been doing. Their questions started to eat at him. "All I'd been doing was trying to make a buck," he says. "My workday never ended. I would work literally through the night." FIVE TEACHERS Spears decided to seek out successful artists so that he could learn from them. He launched his search in 1987 at the Santa Fe Indian Market, which includes featured-artist demonstrations at a number of galleries. "I walked into Mountain Trails Gallery," Spears says. "A sculptor was working on this huge wagon train that was just so meticulous. I was fascinated." That stranger was third-generation sculptor Vic Payne, who took Spears to his father's gallery. "He gave me a list of five contemporary sculptors that have very different styles, and said, 'These are the people that you need to seek out and learn from.' Literally changed my life," recalls Spears. Fast-forward to 1999. Spears had studied under each man on Payne's list. He'd been a full-time sculptor for several years when he headed to his in-laws' new home in Gulf Shores. During his trip, he discovered Fairhope. "It was like nothing that we had seen - the flower-lined streets, the little shops," he says. "Everyone was friendly. Teenagers were opening doors for adults which, coming from south Florida, I found to be very peculiar." Spears was blown away by the Eastern Shore Art Center. "At that point I think we had pretty much made up our minds. We're not going to find another place like this," he says. "This is where we want to raise our family." FROM FAIRHOPE TO FRANCE Spears was captivated by the center's collection of Craig Sheldon woodcarvings. The first large, public piece he installed here was a bronze sculpture of Sheldon, page 13, which now stands behind the Fairhope Museum of History. While he worked on the piece, Spears maintained a gallery and studio on Bancroft Street. "People would come in and tell me their unique stories about Craig," he says. "He was an amazing influence." Sheldon's son-in-law, Dean Mosher, was historian general of the Naval Order of the United States. This connection led to Spears' commission for a D-Day piece in Normandy. That monument, in turn, led to a World War I doughboy memorial. Today, Spears has his hands in multiple projects. He's busy with phase two of the Normandy monument and working to complete a Fairhope monument, "Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy." He's simultaneously teaming with Helen Patton and the Patton Foundation on a project centered in the apple orchards of Nehou, France. "I don't like war. I am not a hawk," he says. "But I do feel that the people who put their lives on the line for us deserve respect." Gesturing to a woman on the "Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy" sculpture holding a folded American flag, he asks, "What better way to use my talents than by being able to do something like that?" THE NAVY NORMANDY MONUMENT When the Naval Order of the United States committee commissioned the Normandy monument, they had no money, had never attempted anything of this scale, and didn't really know if they could do it. Spears received a two-year contract for a project that ultimately took closer to five. Even at that, the actual sculpting and casting process was a mad dash to the finish. A July 1 deadline dramatically compressed Spears' timeline. He worked 20-hour days and changed the way he planned to mold the sculpture so he could complete the project on time. "The modeling, the actual texture of the piece is rougher than I intended," he says. "But the roughness lends itself to what the chaos of the day was, and also what the sea was. The monument is already starting to take on the color of the channel, in the way the bronze patina is aging." The American cemetery not withstanding, the Normandy monuments lacked the human form. "I wanted to give a uniquely human aspect to this," Spears says. "But how do you encompass something of that magnitude in one object, and have it do justice to everyone?" He decided the sculpture should represent three phases of the invasion: the years of planning that led to it, its implementation, and its aftermath. A commanding officer with plans at his feet represents phase one; a sailor moving a 5-inch gun symbolizes phase two; and a member of the Navy unit that would become the Navy Seals represents the final phase. The 12-foot-wide, 4-foot-high black granite base's five-sided design represents the five beaches of the D-Day invasion. Spears says that his greatest reward was hearing firsthand the stories of survivors who participated in the invasion. "I had them sign their LST number and name inside on the aluminum framework. It's a rewarding feeling to know that so many were able to do that." For more information on the Normandy Monument, including an illustrated account of its 2008 dedication ceremony, visit normandymonument.org. TEARS OF SORROW, TEARS OF JOY A simple letter that Sissy Scott wrote during her work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was the inspiration for Spears' new statue, slated for installation on the bluff overlooking the Fairhope Pier. Scott was moved by the commitment of the U.S. troops who worked to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure after Operation Iraqi Freedom. She also was aware of the sacrifices their families made. The "Tears of Sorrow" part of the sculpture features a woman holding the folded American flag to her heart. "The bronze will be burnished back on the stars," Spears says. "She'll be facing east. The sun will rise to her and reflect off those burnished stars onto her." The "Tears of Joy" element shows two happier figures, a man in fatigues and a little boy, holding an American flag. "The little boy is leaning into and confident of the support of the soldier," Spears says. "It represents why soldiers put the uniform on, to hand freedom to the next generation. It's not specific to any branch of service or to any battle. It's about veterans in all branches of service, in all conflicts, past, present and future." While the miniature maquette, above, has been completed, the Fairhope Veterans Memorial Committee lacks the funds to cast the actual larger-than-life bronze figures. It plans to solicit local businesses to help with details, such as site preparation and a seating area. For more information on the monument, contact the Fairhope courier, 928-2321, or the American Legion, 928-9132. For more details about the sculpture, visit fairhopeveteransmemorial.org. Image information: Main : Perhaps Stephen Spears' most profound piece to date is The Normandy Monument. Left : For Spears, sculpting is more than just what he does for a living. "My attitude changes if I'm away from it for too long," he says. Center: The Navy Normandy Monument. Spears likens the curve of the figures in the Normandy piece to a nautilus. "They're all leaning on and supporting each other, because without all of them working together, none of it would have ever been accomplished." Right: Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy. "When my dad went to Vietnam, it changed my family's life, which is why I feel very strongly about this tribute," says Spears of the Fairhope memorial. Photos by Adrian Hoff.