"They're Always Chasing Me" 8.5"H x 18"W x 8"D Ed. 35 3600 ..read more

Pig 'O My Heart 6H x 13W x 10D Ed size. 35 4800 ..read more

  "Bunnies in Bloom" 11"H x 12"W x 8"D Ed. size 35 3600 ..read more

 I get to live with the sculpture for one day before installation as the seal and wax cures. Early in the morning of installation day the sculpture has been loaded onto the trailer and ready for delivery to the National Museum of Military Vehicles (NMMV) in Dubois, Wyoming. `Waiting for us on-site is Dan Starks, the creator and CEO of the museum. Much time was spent setting the monument in place on the prepared pad as Dan wanted #399 to be facing westward toward the Grand Teton range where she and her cubs reside. Note the original clay maquette that is being used to car ..read more

At this stage, the bear has been sandblasted and I am inspecting the welds, seamlines, and chasing before patina. As the welds are chased away and blended into the surrounding metal textures, I spend many hours in the foundry. The metal chasing step in the process is very important to the artist: The integrity of the surface and what was modeled into the clay must flow seamlessly. A metal chaser is a highly trained technician and must be sensitive to and aware of the sculptors modeling techniques. Fit-up, welding, armature, chasing, and the final sandblasting have been completed. Th ..read more

The bronze panels, devoid of ceramic shell, are taken to the sandblasting room where they are cleaned. The bronze sprews are cut off from the panels and returned to the pouring floor where they will be melted down for future use. Before fit-up and welding begins, the bronze panels are placed on the floor, and using the numbered resin cast maquette as a guide; the enormous sculpture is assembled like a jigsaw puzzle. Note, the panels were numbered in clay and are visible in the cast bronze. These numbers will be ground off or "chased" as the work is completed. The clay m ..read more

  The sprewed wax panel is heavily incrusted in a thick, hardened  ceramic shell and ready for the next step, which is the wax burn-out. The shells are put in a furnace. The wax is melted or "lost" as it escapes and drains away. The French name cire perdue or "lost wax" bronze casting derives its name from this step in the process. Below, notice the spout or trough that emerges from the furnace: As the wax begins to melt inside the ceramic shell, it drips out into a bucket and momentarily catches fire. During the wax burn-out, the ceramic shell which encases the sprewe ..read more

Mold completed! Pulling the rubber and plaster mold away from the original clay model. Inspecting the rubber mold and plaster mother mold. The pile of over 70 molds for #399 monument! Pouring and sloshing the 180-degree liquid wax into the mold. The wax has hardened and we are now peeling the wax copy away from the rubber mold. Spruing and gating the wax copy; the sprus or gates will serve as the channels through which the molten bronze flows into the panel. Future posts will describe the shell encasement, burnout, metal pour, assembly, and patina.  ..read more

Last month, modelling the #399 monument was completed and molds were made. Shown is shimming the seam lines, applying the urethane rubber mold material, and making and pulling the hydrocal plaster mold jackets ..read more

Grizzly #399, work in progress! This is what I've been working on for the past nine months ..read more