Photo credit: Beth Cardwell Photography
As a college student, David J. Rosenfeld, MD, chief of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Lancaster General Hospital, had to choose between two passions: surgery and sculpture. “A long time ago, I had to choose one or the other,” he said. “I reached the stage about two years ago where I can be both a surgeon and an artist.” In fact, this spring he showed his work for the first time in 40 years, at a First Friday reception in Lancaster.
Rosenfeld took art lessons growing up in Westchester, New York. He majored in zoology and studio art in college, but when the time came to choose a career, medicine won out. Residency and training — and later the demands of his growing practice and raising four children with his wife, Julia— left little time for art. But Rosenfeld, now a new grandfather, always knew he would pick up his welder’s torch again one day.
In a garage studio, Rosenfeld welds metal sculptures up to 10 feet tall and 500 pounds. He uses recycled objects, such as old wrenches, pipes, wheels and antique farm equipment, to create abstract geometric designs. “There are many parallels between surgery and art,” he said. “Surgery is like a piece of art when it’s done well.”
His return to sculpture doesn’t mean he’s ready to retire or even slow down his medical practice. “I still love to operate,” he said. “The OR is the only place where you can really relax. All of the other distractions are gone.”
Like a true surgeon, Rosenfeld is aiming high when it comes to art. He hopes his sculptures will one day be displayed in a museum. “I’ve achieved the goals I set for myself in medicine,” he said. “Now I’d like to achieve my goals in art.”