LOVELAND, Colo. -- A walk through George Lundeen’s studio in Loveland is like a trip down memory lane.
"A lot of really neat people," said George Lundeen.
From models of historic figures to capturing powerful moments in time, Lundeen has been bringing clay and bronze to life for decades.
"Sculptors and people have been doing this for 5,000 years and it hasn't changed much," said Lundeen.
His latest project revolves around a two star general raised in Denver who had a big impact but who carries little notoriety today.
"This is one of the greatest American war heroes that I've ever heard of," said Lundeen.
General Maurice Rose is the highest ranking and most distinguished Jewish-American soldier in U.S. history. He served in WWI and also in WWII under President Eisenhower.
"Eisenhower said what Grant was to Lincoln, Rose was to Ike," said Paul Shamon, one of two men to come up with the idea of creating a statue for General Rose.
Shamon persuaded the state legislature to build a statue in his honor at Lincoln Memorial Park.
"In these days of people being anti-monument, anti-statue with what is going on politically, that our legislature will vote unanimously to put this statue on the grounds of the capitol was very fulfilling," said Shamon.
Before Governor Polis gave his official announcement, Lundeen was already busy at work for about one year.
"Anytime you do a portrait of somebody or you do an illustration of somebody in bronze, you have to have for instance, with the general, we have to have all the right equipment," said Lundeen.
He bought WWII googles from Germany, boots similar to what he would have worn, and binoculars.
"You're trying to do justice to the person, you're trying to do justice to the service that he was in," said Lundeen.
Before the general’s statue is erected, it’ll go through multiple molds until being shaped by fire.
"Then we end up when it's cold, you knock that mold off and you get a piece of bronze that looks just like the piece of wax that looks just like the piece of clay," said Lundeen.
In the end, the most important piece is preserving Colorado’s history.
The general’s statue is being built with only the help of community donations.