An Iowa muralist landed on the island on July 20 and quickly went to work with his paint brushes to transform a 6-foot boulder pulled from the rock pit near the airport into Alaska’s first “Freedom Rock” to honor veterans.
Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II started work by preparing the stone’s surface for the patriotic artwork, a process that involved applying a base layer to most of the area.
While he has never painted in such a moist climate, he feels confident in his chosen materials.
“What I use is BEECK mineral paint,” he said. “It’s made specifically for masonry and rock-like surfaces. It’s really durable and holds up for a long time.”
Sorensen is scheduled to finish painting the veterans memorial in early August.
Though he is working on the boulder in a building at the Marine Service Center, the borough’s intent has been to permanently display the memorial somewhere at City Park.
The borough is paying the cost of the supplies, Sorensen’s fees and building a permanent shelter over the artwork.
The tradition of Freedom Rock memorials began in 1999 in Adair County, Iowa, when a 19-year-old Sorensen felt inspired by the movie “Saving Private Ryan.” He painted what he called “a massive thank-you message to veterans” on a large boulder.
Since that initial project, he has repainted the original Iowa boulder every year for Memorial Day to showcase a new theme. He has also expanded the effort by creating Freedom Rock murals in 10 other states.
