Change of Venue

Hi Friends,
I have a beautiful new website where you can now find me.
Click HERE to go THERE.
I'll look forward to seeing you.

More Inspiration from the Cemetery

I'm currently studying hand engraving on stone, so I'm obsessed with it. This next grave stone is a lovely example of it. And it kills me that the wife marked her husband's life in years, months, and days. I've never seen that before on a grave stone, and it moved me to tears.

As we were leaving, we saw this sweet one on the outskirts of the cemetery. It's from the late 19th century and, though it's been ravaged by time, is still so beautiful. 

Sculpture is the Word of the Day

From Clay To Bronze

If you want to make a sculpture in bronze, you must make it three times: first the form must be crafted in clay, then in wax, and finally in bronze, each step as meticulous as the last. 

This is what goes into making a simple vessel:

Original clay positive with attached sprue 

Plaster mold

Hollow wax positive from plaster negative

Two waxes all gated up and ready to be invested
(über ghetto)

The raw bronze with investment still on it + in it

(You can watch the bronze pour here)

Gating cut off, core pins and flashing 

removed, surface wire brushed

Sandblasted and buffed

Layers of patina applied to achieve a leathery surface

It Never Fails

The Best Things Come By Post

Our friend sent us a card with this scrap of paper inside. His son wrote it after he had dinner with us last. We framed it immediately.

Ah, The Smell Of Molten Bronze In The Afternoon

I led my first bronze pour this weekend, which was an unforgettable experience. I'm the moon man on the left barking orders at everyone, which is the job of the pour captain. (But you can just call me Captain.) On the right is the lovely and obscenely talented artist Crystal Schenk.