Photo by Dave Johnson.
By Werner Pfister
In 2013 the Crayola Company will celebrate the 110th anniversary of the introduction of their eponymous crayon. Ever since then, kids all over the world have enjoyed creating their masterworks of art while drawing with Crayolas. But recently, I was blown away when I saw those crayons used for a sculpture! Stanley Cohen, an attorney in West Hartford, Connecticut recently commissioned a work of art using Crayola crayons in a most unusual way.
As background, I should mention that Stanley was for many years a European sports car owner when about 30 years ago he was invited to a drive a Ferrari. He loved it and has been an avid Ferrari owner ever since. Incredibly, he has owned every new Ferrari since, including some very collectible older Ferraris including a 330 GTC, a Daytona and a Daytona Spider. More recently his garage has been home to a 458 Spider and an FF. Any Ferrari enthusiast would have been totally ecstatic with that ownership history, but even more impressive is the fact that Stanley also owns all four Ferrari supercars: a 288 GTO, an F-40, and an F-50 which are all in traditional “Rosso Corsa” paint…and a yellow Enzo!
Details such as the license plate, mirrors and exhaust can be seen from this angle. Photo by Dave Johnson.
Cohen has also been a mover and shaker in the Ferrari Club of America-New England Region. About a dozen years ago, Stanley and his fellow club members founded the popular Hartford Ferrari Concorso to showcase their cars and to raise money for charitable causes, including the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC). One of the highlights of this annual event is when Stanley and his team drive young patients from the hospital to the show site in their Ferraris. To date, this event has raised more than $1,200,000 with the CCMC receiving the bulk of that funding. However, for Cohen even that admirable feat wasn’t enough.
Earlier this year, Stanley and his wife Janet made a substantial personal donation to CCMC in order to build a Chemotherapy Infusion Center and Nurses Station. “I’ve been blessed with a wonderful family and the ability to acquire some wealth. Making the lives of the children and their families easier during their stay at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is a pleasure, and a way I can show my sincere appreciation to the Good Lord for bestowing me with health and opportunities,” said Cohen. To complement their donation, the Cohens wanted to give the hospitalized kids something they could really appreciate. Quite by accident, Stanley read about Tennessee-based Crayola artist Herb Williams who has his art in the White House, the Smithsonian and other prestigious locations around the world. That is when Cohen hatched this idea.
Herb Williams' artwork can be found in the Smithsonian. This one is 'Ring of Fire'. Photo by Ashton Thornhill.
Williams works entirely with crayons and is the world’s largest purchaser of crayons from the Crayola Company. He regularly buys the crayons in 50 pound cases of a single color containing 3,000 pieces! Stanley took his idea of doing something special for the kids and approached Williams to create a large scale replica of his Ferrari Enzo, made entirely out of yellow Crayola crayons!
Recently I was invited to the Crayola Enzo model installation reception at the CCMC. Wayne Carini of the popular TV show, “Chasing Classic Cars” was the MC of the event and assisted in the unveiling of this spectacular sculpture. (Carini has also been a regular exhibitor and a dedicated committee member of the Hartford Concorso since its inception.)
When I spied the Yellow Crayola Enzo at this event, I was immediately very impressed and spent a lot of time walking around the glass-covered work of art to take in all the details. At 4 feet long and 3 feet wide it has a real presence. Williams said “It weighs about one hundred pounds even though I used lightweight Styrofoam and some wood for the core.” Who knew that crayons could weigh that much, but when you use up to 36,000 of them, it all adds up.
The Yellow Crayola Enzo is detailed right down to the miniature replica of Cohen’s actual Connecticut vanity plate: Enzo-1 which Williams painstakingly created. There are many fine details visible everywhere, including outside mirrors, headlights/taillights, exhaust pipes, air scoops, windows and alloy wheels, all done in different colored crayons. The artist told me that each crayon is individually bonded to the form using an archival adhesive. The entire work of art took Williams between 3 and 4 months to complete.
Enzo under construction. More than 36,000 crayons were used for the body. Herb Williams
“It was a tremendous honor to pay homage to one of the most iconic Ferrari’s ever designed. I was then humbled at the generosity of Stanley Cohen and the West Hartford Ferrari Club by including me in their tremendous support of the Children’s Medical Center.” said Williams.
The kids at CCMC love and treasure their new art installation at the hospital. I bet that they are already dreaming about the next Concorso scheduled for June, 2013 when they might get to ride in the real thing! I know that Stanley Cohen will be working to make those dreams a reality.
Werner,
Thank you for an interesting article about a very talented artist who works in a non-traditional media, and a very generous man who is not afraid to reach into his own pocket to do the right thing. I would imagine that Cohen, a lawyer,and Williams, an artist, probably view the world from very different perspectives. So far, their relationship has produced an object that I am sure will delight and stimulate the thinking of all of the people who view it, especially those in the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Both Mr. Cohen and Mr. Williams are worthy of the exposure this article has provided. I tip my hat to both of them.
Dear Mr. Austin:
Thank you for your kind comments.
You express the spirit behind the conception and creation
of The YELLOW CRAYOLA FERRARI ENZO. To see the awe
in the faces of the children as they look at the
ENZO is very special and gives one a sincere feeling
of gratitude that myself and Herb have been allowed by the Creator
to do something that is at once so special and yet so
welcomming.
Stanley,
Congratulations for causing to be created such an impressive work of art and then presenting it to CCMC for the children.
All your friends wish you and Janet the “Very Best”
Congratulations Stanley and Janet Cohen!
Reaching and then touching the very soul and spirit of a child ,especially one in need ,lifts all of us ! Well done! Again! Thank You! : )
Now I know what I can do with mine. Thanks Werner.