The Process
The Art of creating a Bronze Sculpture
There are many stages to creating a bronze sculpture, each one is very time consuming and labor intensive. As an artist, I have spent a considerable amount of my career studying different techniques and disciplines from model making, mould-making, carpentry, to metalworking and metal finishing. For me all of these skills have converged in the fine art of producing a high quality bronze sculpture.
I use the lost wax technique for my bronze making process. I produce my sculptures in collaboration with Seamus Connolly and Kilbaha Foundry. Even though I work on every step of the production they have been instrumental in helping me produce this work and refine my abilities.
There are challenges along each stage and all of the different stages have to work out perfectly to result in a great piece.
Here are the many stages in the bronze making process:
- sculpting the original model
- casting in rubber
- molding in wax
- creating a plaster cast for the waxes
- using the lost wax process to create the plaster molds
- bronze pouring
- metalworking and welding
- patination.
There is a lot of investment in time, energy and material before you can see your vision in its full and complete form. You have to have faith in your abilities and in the process. When it works out, it truly is a rewarding experience with a real sense of accomplishment.
Bronze has a very lasting, enduring quality and has the ability to stand the test of time. We still have objects from the Bronze Age today that create a link to our past.
Throughout my work I try to capture a movement that is fleeting and almost ethereal in nature. To preserve those moments in bronze is a challenge I enjoy as an artist. The nature of bronze allows my work to stand the test of time, and hopefully, create that link into the future.
