World famous sculptor of Frank Sinatra, FDR, Lucille Ball, is an Orange County native

It’s in her eyes. Sculptor Carolyn D. Palmer’s hazel eyes — fixed intently on the statue she is creating — are a study in concentration. In meticulous detail, she brings her artistic visions to life.

It’s in her hands. She molds clay and other materials in a way that stirs emotions in those who view her finished works.

It’s in her heart. Palmer’s passion for her work seems to have no limits. Her quick smile and the enthusiasm in her voice let you know in no uncertain terms that she loves what she does.

“It” is an uncanny knack the Chester native has for capturing the essence of those she sculpts into statues and busts of bronze, marble, clay and wood – to international acclaim.

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“I’m passionate about recreating the soulful depth of people through sculpting their various facial facets – that’s really my passion,” said Palmer, who attended John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen, where she won the senior art award, among others. She went on to graduate cum laude from Nazareth College in Rochester, New York.

Homage to Ol' Blue Eyes

Palmer’s most recent work is a life-sized bronze statue of Frank Sinatra which was unveiled on Dec. 12, 2021 – on what would have been his 106th birthday – in the singer's hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey.

Ol’ Blue Eyes is depicted casually leaning against a lamp post (which Palmer built), smiling and tipping his hat. She made the lamp post hollow so it could be wired with an operational light for nighttime. "The light bulb is orange, which was Frank's favorite color," Palmer said. "He always said it was a happy color."

Celebrities, dignitaries, performers and some of Sinatra’s close friends and family members attended the event.

“Carolyn Palmer, we have to do a sculpture of you,” Sinatra's daughter, Tina Sinatra remarked to Palmer on the day of the unveiling. “You are amazing!”

The sculpture was greeted with appreciation. “I wanted this sculpture to lift people’s spirits,” Palmer said. “People were singing, taking photos … I’m so happy they enjoyed it.”

Wright brothers, FDR, the Pope

Even as a child, Palmer had an artist’s view of the world. “When I was on the beach, I always sculpted people in the sand,” she recalled. “Strangers walking by always made a big deal about them.”

But the sculptor’s career path took a detour early on, when she chose to study the sciences. She considered going into the field of medicine: “Maybe medical illustration – I love the body and all the different organs,” she said.

But art prevailed, and Palmer went on to study privately throughout Spain, France, Italy and the United States. Today, her sculptures are displayed in both public venues, museums and private collections.

A larger-than-life statue of Thomas Jefferson – the first sculpture she ever made, completed in 2003 – is displayed at the Jefferson Building at Syracuse; Palmer’s own copy stands outside her front door.

“After people saw that piece, that started my career,” Palmer said.

Her bronze busts of the Wright Brothers were acquired by the Sanford, Orlando airport, for its lobby.

In 2012, Palmer was commissioned to create larger than life-size bronze busts of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt for the entrance foyer of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park.

A second set was acquired by the New York Historical Society Museum and also traveled internationally with Norman Rockwell’s “Rockwell, Roosevelt and the Four Freedoms,” a six-city tour that began at the New York Historical Society in 2018 and ended in Normandy, France in 2020.

Four larger than life-size bronze busts for the entrance vestibules to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City were created by Palmer in honor of the pontiffs who have visited the Cathedral: Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II and Pope Paul VI.

In 2018, they were permanently installed on marble shelving facing the Fifth Avenue entrance. Palmer’s marble bust of Pope Francis greeted the pontiff at the New York papal residence when he visited the U.S. in 2015 – he blessed the piece with a special benediction, Palmer said.

True to the process

Working out of a studio in Saddle River, New Jersey, Palmer uses different media to sculpt her original models. To create her bronzes, she uses the 6,000-year-old "lost wax bronze process."

She begins by sculpting with malleable French clays to create her figures, then she makes a mold. Next, a duplicate hollow wax figure is made from the mold. The foundry then takes over to create another mold of her waxes, and these molds with waxes are placed in high-temperature ovens to melt the wax out, so they can pour molten bronze into the "lost wax" cavities.

Finally, the mold is cracked off, and a bronze is born. The foundry process is quite time-consuming and can take up to six months to complete.

Palmer is very protective of her sculptures and insists on accuracy. “One little ding in an eyebrow or an eye can make a face appear happy or sad – you want to make sure every detail is held,” she said.

‘Like a role in a movie’

How does Palmer prepare to create each work of art?

“I always say it’s like an actress taking on a role in a movie,” she explained. “I study them. For the Lucy statue, I played all of Lucy’s funny videos, got to know her. … For Frank Sinatra, I played his songs, watched his movies. I’d stop a scene, get the frame enlarged. I had their photos all over my studio.”

Palmer’s Lucille Ball statue attracted considerable media attention, after she unanimously won the assignment to replace another artist’s sculpture – dubbed "Scary Lucy" by unhappy fans – at the Lucille Ball Park in Celoron, New York.

“At the time I was under a lot of pressure,” Palmer recalled. “So many people had made death threats to that other artist. ... People become very connected to certain icons, almost like they’re a relative. … You don’t know how people are going to react.”

Palmer needn’t have worried; the reception to her “Lovely Lucy” was overwhelmingly positive, and it remains a popular visitor destination.

The sculptor chose to depict Ball in a polka dot dress, head held high, hand on hip, happily stepping across her honored spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “I wanted to give her that ‘Lucy’ attitude,” Palmer said. “She’s confident, looking totally glamorous with those long eyelashes and a string of pearls.”

What’s next

Palmer is currently working on a sculpture of the late poet and author Maya Angelou. “I’m passionate about bringing forth the essence of someone that people can actually feel in the presence of the sculpture,” Palmer said. She also has in the works more commissions that, for now, are “under wraps” until details are firmed up.

The best compliment Palmer has received?

“I played a fly on the wall; I listened to what people were saying in St. Patrick’s Cathedral … ‘Oh my gosh, they’re so alive’ said one woman who put her hand over her heart while viewing the papal busts. Seeing someone respond to what I’ve imbued is the best.”

Added Palmer, “What I love most is that I’m able to imbue the spirit of the person I’m sculpting and bring joy to others.”

For more information on Palmer and her sculptures, visit palmersculptures.com.

Fina Badolato is a Hudson Valley freelance writer. Contact her at thnewsroom@th-record.com

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Orange County NY native Carolyn Palmer is a world-famous sculptor