How I Work
The beginning
Finding the composition that expresses my thoughts in a sculptural, dramatic gesture is the starting point for all my work. Whether it’s an imagined figure, an historic person, or an abstract concept, I design my sculptures founded upon form and movement and, often, responding to the site and space around them.
By creating tiny 3-dimensional sculptural studies in clay I am able to “model” the sculpture from all angles and refine the form to my vision and the environment. If this is a commissioned work these preliminary conceptual studies allow my client a view into how the sculpture will look when developed.
A maquette
Frequently, I prepare a fully detailed smaller scale version of a proposed full scale sculpture. This version is called a “maquette” and is my working model for a full scale piece. The maquette is suitable for presentations and collectors. It is a finished, bronze sculpture in its own right.
The Sculpture
While I enjoy several mediums in which to work, and have executed a number of pieces in glass and wood, my favored material is bronze. My bronzes are personally hand sculpted even on the full scale.
I begin a sculpture by first creating a welded steel structure. This structure, or “armature” acts as a skeletal framework and will support the clay I use to flesh out the form of the sculpture. I imbue the clay with my vision, perfecting the form and details until I am satisfied that I have conveyed my thoughts.
The Final Result
Once I have completed the clay sculpture to my satisfaction, I work with a fine art bronze foundry to execute the process of taking the clay sculpture into bronze. The foundry will prepare a mold over my clay sculpture using a series of applications of a special material. This mold is then removed from the clay sculpture and the foundry will prepare the mold for the lost wax process of casting bronze. While this phase of the bronze process is taking place in the foundry, I review the details of the sculpture making sure that nothing has been sacrificed in the process. The sculpture is then finished with a fine patina that enhances the details and completes the vision.