Metal sculpture restored; new bonds forged

Samples of Gregg Klewicki's sculptures are visible from Jericho Turnpike and include his signature bears, hand-carved signs, dolphins, birds, mailbox posts, lighthouses and just about anything he and his clients can imagine.

But he also creates works of art from metal and steel, crafting sculptures, benches and water fountains. For a client in Atlantic Beach, Klewicki literally restored the luster and shape to another artist's work, in the process becoming the caretaker of the metal sculpture.

Superstorm Sandy didn't just knock over trees; brutal winds felled the towering metal sculpture that had turned the front lawn of Jeffrey Schwartz's Atlantic Beach home into a local landmark since 1999.

"It was heartbreaking," said Schwartz, 57, a physician. "It's a kinetic sculpture that was created and installed by an artist friend, Manuel Marin, who would come to my house every so often with his family and spend time polishing and cleaning it, and we enjoyed the visits a lot. It's something like an Alexander Calder mobile with colorful, movable parts that twist and turn in the breeze, and I love to look at it. It's 25-feet tall and made of steel, so it tended to rust if it wasn't taken care of.

"But Manuel died six years ago and the sculpture began to deteriorate. And then Sandy hit and it crashed down. Pieces were scattered all over the ground. I found Gregg from his website, told him I wanted someone who could put it back together and restore it the way it used to be, and as it turned out he was the right choice. He took it away and in a couple of weeks it was back in place on my lawn looking just as it had been."

And, Schwartz happily noted, there was an added bonus to the deal.

"Gregg has been coming just like Manuel used to, bringing his family to visit as he polishes and maintains the sculpture. So we've made a new relationship, the sculpture is like new again and even the neighbors are glad to have their landmark back."