The Process

The most frequently asked question of a sculptor is, “How do you do that?" Following is a brief description of the process.

Step One
I create the original sculpture from an oil-based clay. Once I am satisfied with the sculptures balance, rhythm and the details of the subject, I double check dimensions and make certain I am satisfied because from this point on there is no turning back!

Step Two
I then cover the clay with several layers of a flexible silicon mold material to make an exact mold of the original clay sculpture. After the silicon mold has sufficiently cured, I remove the original clay sculpture. This leaves me with a perfect reverse image of the original inside the silicon mold.

Step Three
I then fill the (now empty) mold with hot wax. After the hot wax cools, I remove it from the mold. I now have an exact replica of the original clay, only it is now a wax sculpture instead of a clay sculpture.

Step Four
This wax replica is then coated (dipped) into a cold liquid mixture of silica glass (called the shell material), which is a material that sustains very high temperatures. After the shell material sufficiently dries, the whole thing is placed in an oven and the temperature is raised until the wax inside melts out. This is called the “lost wax process,” a process that sculptors have used for thousands of years.

Step Five
The now empty silica shell has the reverse image of the original sculpture inside of it. I then pour hot molten bronze into the shell material. After it cools, the shell material is removed and the result is a copy of my original clay sculpture, only now it is bronze.

Step Six
The bronze sculpture is then sand blasted, burnished and prepared for the patina (the colorization) that the artists desires. This process requires different chemicals applied with heat. It is then waxed and polished and mounted on a complementary base.