AHTV hospital installs new sculpture

A gorgeous white abstract marble statue aptly named "Serenity" was installed in the garden of Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 4, with her creator Laura Wambsgans overseeing the installation. Also in attendance was local mortgage broker Tammy Engel who had purchased the statue and donated it to the hospital. Engle said that when she first saw the piece she wanted it for her home and then realized that it needed to be in a place where everyone could enjoy it and feel its comfort.

Wambsgans began the statue nearly 20 years ago when she found the marble in a quarry near Aspen, Colorado. Over the years, that quarry has supplied the white marble for many monuments in Washington DC, including the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Wambsgans worked on it for several months in the forest before bringing it home to her studio in Southern California. It was partially finished when Wambsgans needed hand surgery and she believed she would never be able to work with marble again and "Serenity" would never be finished. That is when Wambsgams took up plein air painting as her creative outlet and she is now well known for her painted art.

She credits Tehachapi sculptor Dwight Dreyer with the inspiration to try to begin working with marble again. It had been years but little by little the feel of the tools returned and, working in short sessions, "Serenity" took shape. She said over the years she had been approached by corporations who wanted to buy the sculpture, but they just didn't seem to be the right match. Then Dreyer introduced her to Tammy Engel who fell in love with the sculpture on first sight and Wambsgans knew the time had come to part with her creation.

"Serenity" is in the garden located outside the hospital cafeteria where the obviously female sculpture emits a feeling of comfort, strength and beauty that can be enjoyed by all. Thank you, Tammy Engel for sharing Serenity.