Anybody Need a Lincoln Statue?

Place the statue outside that “Battlefield” H-D Dealership. Have Lincoln holding a sign, “Loud Pipes Disturb the Battlefield.”

I feel I must warn you about the “big bad statue” coming your way. I have been following the story of the Lincoln statue for Gettysburg, a prestigious monument that should be done by a professional, well trained artist. Stan Watts of Utah is a scam artist who has saddled others with bad donated art. Abraham Lincoln deserves better.

Watts lies about his education and training. He claims to have been a student of the famous Avard Fairbanks, but only met him once casually. He claims to have been a student at Utah State University. He wasn’t. He promises high quality art work and it is awful. In reality, this man has never received any professional training at all.

Unlike skilled professional artists he can’t rely on commissions or art competitions to get a sculpting job. Watts tries to build his resume by offering donated statues. He is a smooth talker who convinces well meaning, trusting donors to pay for a statue which is donated to a prestigious organization like yours. Because it is a “gift” there is no quality or artistic oversight. This dubious practice forced the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to put a moratorium on accepting statues to stop a flow of bad quality, donated religious artwork.

I urge you to verify the background and training of this man before you accept his work. Get proof of his art education. Watts is known to “charm” his way by appealing to the patriotic or religious emotions of his perspective client. Please be vigilant or you will end up with a monstrous, sloppy creation and a lien. Please keep in mind that “big and free “does not always mean “good.” As a long time admirer of Abraham Lincoln, I would like to see this statue done by a well trained, professional artist.

Please understand that I write this because I have seen Watts take advantage of others and do not want to see it happen again. I too am an artist and have known Watts for years. I am not trying to get this job for myself but simply want to warn you to check his credentials. This shady business hurts all real artists.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Stan Watts or his reputation.

Blog Post
regarding Richard D Young post

Richard W Linford Esq response
November 17, 2009 3:30 pm MST

To: Mr. Eric Wittenberg, Civil War Historian

My client Stan Watts called me today and asked me to respond to a June 16, 2009 post to your Blog by Richard D Young that keeps surfacing on the Internet periodically when Stan’s name is typed in. To begin with, I am a great friend to Stan and I want everyone to know that I have served as Stan’s attorney for a number of years so I know Stan personally and about Stan’s sculptures and business activities and I confirm that I have yet to see Stan do anything dishonest or improper as has been alleged by Mr. Young. Let me say upfront that the primary source of criticism of Stan, Richard D Young, in his post leaves us with the impression that he is merely a “competitor to Stan,” when in fact, Richard D Young is Stan’s brother in law. For whatever personal reason, and since Stan ceased to work with Mr. Young many years ago, Mr. Young has seen fit to occupy part of his time harassing Mr. Watts not only on this project but on several of Stan’s other projects. So in evaluating this matter, we all need to take Mr. Young’s activities and comments with a pound of salt. From either a journalistic point of view or a legal point of view, this undisclosed fact calls into question some if not all of the facts in Mr. Young’s post, borders on slander if it is not outright slander of Mr. Watts, and negates much if not all of the credibility of Richard D Young’s post.

Regarding Stan’s track record as a significant sculptor of our time, in his 48 year life Stan has created, placed and sold a large number of masterpiece works of bronze sculpture that will last through the ages including but not limited to his George Washington Equestrian at Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, his Founding Fathers and The Declaration of Independence at Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and also at The Raymond James billionaire collection in Florida, his Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith Equestrian at the Nauvoo Illinois Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his William Shakespeare’s “Titania” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Cedar City, Utah at The Shakespeare Festival site, his “To Lift A Nation” Forty Foot Monument of The Three Firemen Lifting The Flag at Ground Zero now at Emmitsburg, Maryland, his Seabiscuit Equestrian now in California, his monument at Berea College commemorating the first integrated school in the United States, his “Litigation” American Bison fighting for Supremacy, his Pioneer Handcart Family in a Prayer of thanks titled “Journey’s End” now placed in Salt Lake City, his Joseph Smith Jr. Reading James 1:5 in the Bible titled “Leaning into the light.” And this is only a partial list. These and other monuments are now installed throughout the nation.

Stan’s work speaks for itself. One can see the quality of Stan’s work at his website which provides more than ample evidence of Stan’s ability, training, experience and highest standards of professionalism. Regarding Stan’s education, Stan does not shy away from the fact that in large measure he is self taught as is the case with all great artists. And Stan is grateful for the principles he learned from Avard Fairbanks both personally and from studying Mr. Fairbank’s sculptures.

Regarding Stan’s approach to the business of sculpting, the work of creating a monument or for that matter and to be specific the work of creating Stan’s now priceless Gettysburg Lincoln Monument is a process not an event. Those who underwrite and fund such monuments and donate them have always been reluctant to do so until the monument is sculpted and has a home. Contrary to Richard D Young’s myopic view of the industry, such monuments are seldom commissioned and placed by amateur or professional competitions and a bidding process. Such monuments are commissioned and placed because of a sculptor’s track record and the quality of his work. I recently saw Stan’s Lincoln monument and can only say that it captures the essence of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Once Stan posts a picture of his Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address monument to his website each person can judge for herself or himself. Stan’s website is http://www.atlasbronzecasting.com

Best regards, Richard Linford, Esq.

To LeAnn Clayton.

LeAnn,

I extend to you and to your family my sympathy and my condolences regarding the untimely death of your brother Dario Crangroth.

Mr. Watts extended at the time and does continue to extend his sympathy and his condolences as well and is grateful for Dario’s work when he worked at the foundry.

May God bless you and your family in the days and months and years to come.

Best regards,

Richard W. Linford

Mr. Linford,

Thank you for expressing your condolences on the passing of Dario. You should know however, that no one in our family has received any condolences, or mention of his death, from Stan Watts since Dario died. The last words that Dario or anyone in our family has heard from Stan or his wife, Renee, was when Renee picked up the Angel statue from Dario at his studio (the last piece that he produced) and begrudgingly gave him $200, saying to him, “AND THAT’S ALL YOUR GOING TO GET”!, leaving a balance of $500 cheating him, yet again, out of promised payment. The day before, Dario and his mother delivered this statue to Atlas Bronze…he expected full payment on the balance due, which was $700. At that time Renee offered him $5 payment in full (this is no exaggeration or typo). He refused to leave the statue under those conditions. The attitude Renee showed him on those days, was common treatment of Dario by Renee.

Let us make this perfectly clear, that Dario was not an employee of Stan Watts, he was an independent artist.

We understand Mr. Linford, that you are representing your client, but you should take the time to have a better understanding of who he is and his treatment of Dario.

Referencing comment #9: We understand how scarred they must be at this time, but we’d like to thank them for validating everything that we’ve said. Now, let us add this, that Dario DID create and sculpt the original that Stan is about to unveil of the “French Freedom Fighters”. (Dario’s original small scale model was used to reproduce the larger one).

As a family we ask you to communicate to Stan, that we expect him to publicly acknowledge which pieces were created by Dario (as he did with the Hockey Players, Pursuit of Excellence” in front of the E-Center, West Valley City, Utah) and to stop reproducing and selling them as his own creations. And we do know which pieces they are.

Dario’s family,
Phyllis, David, Bruce, LeAnn and Wendy

Mr.Linford
So what ever happened to the so called Gettysburg Lincoln statue? I know for a fact it was never on display at the Utah State Capital, as Mr. Watts lies again “Bronze sculpture of Abraham Lincoln shown here on display in the Utah State Capitol building” on his website he has done a little photo shop with scale model in the basement of the capital , without there permission .

my bad
http://www.bronzeportraits.net

Richard

i was married to dario grangroth for many wonderful years. i know what this family is talking about because there were numerous people that wanted to steal from dario,s god given talents. i always addored his family and still do. i spoke with dario numerous times over the years and was often told about this so called artist. dario was a caring, giving man that thought often of others rather than himself and because of that he was constantly being taken advantage of. i hope that this so called artist that stole from dario can only live with himself after he has admitted his wrong doing. i can spot dario,s artwork a mile away. we all know what really happened before his trajic death. “Dario, i will love you forever. you were the love of my life. you will be missed.”

Charmaine Grangroth Milner