DAVID NEWTON IS CLASSICALLY TRAINED IN the European tradition but instead of sculpting nymphs and nobles, he transforms ordinary African American people and forgotten historical moments into unforgettable, timeless monuments of beauty.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Newton was nurtured by a loving family who was struck by his conspicuous talent when he was barely five years old. His Aunt Porter came home from work one day and noticed the kindergartner sewing a suit of clothes for his G. I. Joe doll; but this was no feeble, half-hearted attempt at stitching. Rather, "It was the work of a fine tailor with attention to detail, proportions, and craftsmanship you might expect from a child ten years older," Porter confides.

Newton, a self described renaissance man of many talents, began his professional career as an engineer but was so inspired to paint and sculpt, he left that field of study to pursue his higher calling as an artist. He then completed his undergraduate degree in fine arts from Detroit's Center for Creative Studies and a Masters of Fine Art from the Graduate School of Figurative Arts in New York City. Throughout his studies he was inspired to portray figures from his ancestral homeland, Africa.

Newton's sculptures offer a refined yet modern interpretation of the African American experience. Admirers of his Warriors and Minute Man stand before his sculptures and feel aware of a presence. It is as if these bronze interpretations - these metaphors of many souls have actually lived. Newton breathes life into his subjects through excellent design and historical detail while igniting each with dignity and magnificent humanity. Newton's sculptures represent great honesty and grand accomplishments.

"When ever I would gaze upon historically important sculptures to study figurative design, I would come away knowing there were few figures depicting people of African ancestry,' Newton discovered. "Perhaps more importantly, I was inspired by visions of unsung heroes and 'sheroes,' everyday people, who had made significant contributions to this great country... and I knew I had to capture these people in the same dignified manner as European sculptors before me had immortalized their own images.

"Each artist must discover their own creative compass in order to find a wellspring of artistic inspiration. I am also inspired to depict African Americans in bronze - a 'color-blind medium' with hope that it may translate for others as a 'color-blind' interpretation of pure, distilled beauty, strength, grace, and form."

Looking at Newton's sculptures, it is impossible to imagine that he first dreamed of being an engineer with its attendant computer simulations and calculations. Bronze masterworks such as Newton's Dream of Freedom, Violated Soul, and Echo tell the tale of man immersed in the emotions of a stolen people; connected to the soul of injustice. It is no accident that his art has become the voice of disenfranchised citizens of this country regardless of ancestry.

Public commissions have punctuated his career for nearly two decades. But it was the worldwide search and selection of David Newton for "the" sculptor to create a monument at the Freedman's Cemetery in Dallas, Texas that firmly placed him front and center on the national stage. His award-winning Freedman's Cemetery Memorial commemorates the lives of more than 1500 freed slaves who were buried at a once forgotten cemetery. Newton's superb memorial guarantees that these formerly lost souls will forever be remembered in the universally honored spirit of 'triumph over adversity.' This is a sentiment that all of humanity admires and because of the genius, talent, and wisdom of master sculptor, David Newton, this admiration shall continue for centuries to come.

Stand in the presence of Newton's Freedman's Memorial and feel ennobled. Experience those qualities, which he makes real in his art. David Newton has a rare gift. He transforms flesh and blood beings into noble bronze demigods. This is a gift to be treasured.

-Zella Jackson

Zella Jackson has written five books including The Art of Selling Art, which has over 40,000 copies in print and is the best selling book of its genre on Amazon.com. She is a contributing editor for DECOR International, Art Business News, DECOR Magazine, and has written for Art and Antiques, and Art Connoisseur Magazine.