A number of coincidences came together to spark my interest in sculpture. One was a wax marquee found in the library that I was able to have cast in bronze at a Boston area foundry. Another was a dear friend talking about her interest in sculpture. Of course I went to my muse, Pupicek, a dog my son brought back from Taiwan who lived with us for many of his 16 years and with whom I bonded from our first meeting. My first step was to research the process. I found a wonderful book at the library, From Clay to Bronze: a Studio Guide to Figurative Sculpture by Tuck Langland. So yes, my figure had fur but the process was the same and in fact even easier. I considered beginning with clay but as I read further it was clear this created much more work for the foundry. I was confused, and in fact still am, about the armature that supports the sculpture. In the lost wax method, what happens to the armature. I solved that question by building this sculpture directly in wax around a rubber door stop that I was able to remove later in the process. I still have a lot to learn about the process and promise to post more after a visit to the foundry. This adventure may very well be a "one and done" but if I can resolve the armature question, I would love to try sculpting a horse! |