C Vernon. – Commissioning the bronze sculpture “Peace Candleholder”, 18 inches tall, 2022. Unveiling on Remembrance Day 2023:  

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Here is my experience of commissioning a sculpture in bronze from JA Fligel.

I came to contact JA because my siblings and I wished to have made a memorial sculpture to our parents that would be placed in the church that had had a central place in their lives for over 70 years.

We had a very clear idea of what we wanted for this sculpture and that bronze was the material we wished it to be.  Our parents were the last surviving WWII veterans in their church and they felt honoured to be asked to light a special Remembrance Day candle on Remembrance Day.  We wished to have a candle holder created featuring their hands cupped around the candle.

I set out to find a sculptor who worked in bronze by searching the internet.  In my search I found that many sculptors created abstract works, but I was looking for someone who created human likenesses;  hands in particular.

In this search I came upon JA Fligel and was impressed with the scope of his creations and especially figures with beautiful hands.

From first contact with JA, I knew that he was the one for our commission.  As this was during Covid our communications were mostly through email or telephone.  I described to him what I was looking for and the story behind it.  When I received a drawing from JA Fligel, I was delighted that he understood what we had envisioned.

Throughout the creation process JA kept me informed of progress and on many occasions made suggestions that would enhance the overall sculpture.  The finished work was lovelier than my siblings or I could have imagined; a truly beautiful work of art to dedicate to our parents.

JA Fligel was a wonderful person to work with and the whole process from start to finish was a joy.
I will add that the fee for this work was quoted at the outset and was never increased to at any time.

In conclusion I would like to say that not only is JA Fligel an exceptional artist, but he is also a very nice person to work with.

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D Niven.  – Commissioning the bronze sculpture “Miracle Man”, unveiled 2016:  

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JA Fligel was commissioned by me in 2015 to create a life size bronze sculpture of my husband.  In July of 2016, JA delivered a final product to me that is an absolute incredible work of art.  Entitled the Miracle Man, this sculpture sits on a granite bench and holds a card etched with sentiments and signatures from our kids and grandkids.  The process was phenomenal leading up to the final unveiling.  JA communicated often with me and sent pictures at pivotal points of creation for feedback.  We made some tweaks leading up to the final forging process but overall not many and as I said the final product is a masterpiece.  I am forever grateful….

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Dr. R. McElroy DDS. MD. CCFP – Commissioning of the sculpture “Professionalism” unveiled at the University of Western Ontario. 2016:

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I had the privilege of meeting JA in about 2013 on behalf of the UWO Meds 66 class. The goal was to create a sculpture promoting Professionalism with an annual prize of $5,000 to a graduating student. After viewing his website I requested that he submit a design including the images of 7 Canadian physicians whose contribution to medicine reflected Professionalism.

The sculpture was unveiled on time and within budget, in the Schulich School of Medicine Building London ON on the occasion of the UWO Meds 66 class 50th reunion in 2016. It is approximately 4 feet by 12 feet. It was a complex sculpture composition with the sculpture appearing to float on glass and there was also lettering involved.

While working on this project it was discovered that the Medical School already had a wall panel promoting Professionalism. The four ingredients of Professionalism were listed as Altruism, Integrity, Responsibility and Respect. UWO Meds 66 added Compassion and Empathy. These are values and concepts that the medical teaching staff try to instil in the minds of medical students and which the Meds’66 class wished to promote withthis sculpture. It is impossible to judge, of course, how effective the sculpture has been or the encouragement by physician staffto implant these concepts in medical students minds.

Over the next few years the Medical School will be expanded and hopefully the sculpture will be moved to a more prominent location ie luncheon room or medical library. By looking at the Schulich School of Medicine website one can view the sculpture and read about the physicians whose images are represented as well as other noteworthy Canadian physicians.

I recommend viewing JA Fligel’s website and the Schulich School of Medicine website.