THE PROCESS

MAKING THE "GEORGIA" RELIEF:

REFERENCE PHOTO OF GEORGIA

I've consulted with Georgia's father on the best choice of photo reference for her sculpted portrait relief.

THE WORK IN THE STUDIO

Working with clay, my hands, modelling tools, and continually referring to the photo, the sculpted relief gradually comes into being.

FINISHED CLAY MODEL

I send photos of the finished clay sculpture to Georgia's father for approval. You will have 2 opportunities to view and indicate changes to your portrait while it is being sculpted in clay. After the second round of adjustments, the clay is ready to enter the mold-making and bronze casting process.

CASTING PROCESS BEGINS: MAKING THE MOLD

Liquid rubber is poured over the finished clay relief.

POURED RUBBER CURES ON RELIEF

The liquid rubber will cure into a flexible mold for use in the next step: making a casting in wax.

MOLD REMOVED FROM CLAY RELIEF

The cured rubber mold removed from the clay sculpture. It nests in a plaster shell, right, during the wax pouring to come.

MELTED WAX POURED INTO THE MOLD

Melted wax is poured into the rubber mold then allowed to cool and harden into a wax replica.

RUBBER MOLD AND WAX CASTING

The hardened wax casting shown resting between the disassembled mold.

WAX CASTING READY FOR TOUCH-UP

The wax casting requires touching up, and sometimes re-working, to prepare it for the next steps.

WAX CASTING WITH SPRUES

The wax, now at the foundry, is readied for another, heat-resistant mold called a "ceramic shell" which will accept the molten bronze. Wax bars, "sprues" and "vents", are attached to the back of the wax. When the wax is melted out of the ceramic shell mold, these create channels in the mold for bronze to be poured through and for gases to be vented out.

WAX ENCASED IN CERAMIC SHELL MOLD

The sprued wax is dipped into a liquid ceramic mixture which hardens into a rigid heat-resitant mold. The wax is then melted out of this mold and molten bronze poured into the space left behind. Photo: Artworks Foundry, Berkeley, CA

POURING THE MOLTEN BRONZE

Molten bronze is poured into the ceramic shell molds. The ceramic shell is broken away from the cooled bronze casting and the casting is ready for final finish work called "bronze chasing". Photo: Artworks Foundry, Berkeley, CA

BRONZE FINISHING OR "CHASING"

The final finish work, refining the bronze casting with files and metal chasing tools.

APPLYING THE PATINA

Bronze will naturally acquire a patina over time. By applying various oxidants to a torch-heated bronze, the foundry's skilled patina applicator accelerates this process to impart a rich tone to the bronze. The patina becomes part of the bronze.

READY FOR SEALING WITH WAX

The surface of the bronze is sealed with wax. This helps to maintain the applied patina. But patinas continue to develop over time, adding to the character of the bronze relief.

"GEORGIA", FINISHED BRONZE PORTRAIT RELIEF

The finished bronze relief ready to be hung at home. The relief can also be mounted onto a wood or stone backing or permanently mounted to a wall or other structure, including outdoor structures.