Bronze - "Ginger"

"Ginger"

approx. 5 ½" x 3 ½" x 3 ½" (with granite stand)

One of a Kind

Bronze - "Ginger" Finished!

Last night I was able to finish my first bronze sculpture, which was my beloved Gingerbread Girl. Images of her in clay/wax mixture can bee seen here.

Last Thursday night the bronze was poured and it was A-MAZE-ING! Here is a video I put together ...

First the clay/wax sculptures are melted out of their ceramic-like shells in a giant kiln, they are then lain in a metal trough (so if bronze is spilled, no one gets injured), and then the bronze is poured! Ours had a cooler pour at only 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. 

And after 30 or so minutes we were able to start chipping away the shell and our little bronze sculptures started to appear! Then I sanded and buffed before applying the patina.

All of our shells are in the kiln!

Checking the temperature ... 

They are all ready for some bronze poured in them.

Water had to be sprayed on some of them so the shells wouldn't burst open from the extreme heat.

There's "Ginger" with her shell still on.

Starting to chip away ...

There she is!

After some sand blasting.

All sanded and buffed!

Ready for the patina.

Isn't "Ginger" pretty in bronze?!?!

And if you're interested in taking this class and are in the Portland area-ish, there are more classes coming up! Check out the Caswell Gallery Blog for more information.

Bronze - "Ginger"

Hello, everyone! This past weekend I've been in "Sculpture 101 at Caswell Gallery and Firebird Bronze" and I have two more weeks left!

This first week has all been about using a mixture of half clay and half wax to create a miniature sculpture and I chose by beloved Golden Retriever, Ginger (she passed away in 2009).

I've sculpted very little before this class. I did an Indian bust at Linn-Benton Community College many years ago for a class. And this is it …

Sadly, I don't quite remember what happened to it when I moved in with my husband, but I think my mom might still have it …. somewhere.

Anyways, moving on to Ginger. I brought some of the few good photos I have of her in her "golden years" …. hahaha. She was a red Golden and they loving with a shorter length coat. Here is my progression of working on her for the past week.

Almost 2 hours of work:

About 3 hours in ….

A little over 3 hours ...

A good 3 ½ to 4 hours and I'm done!