Reduced and Tweaked ... Variation in Bronze

Femme Verte

Clay model & wax figure in progress

Gated

Cast - gates removed

    This Fall has been a season of catching up on unfinished projects. After completing the Birdbox and The Guardian sculptures (see blog entries for 9/29/14 and 10/31/14) I am now tackling another bronze piece that was cast at the same time as the pod birds used in my Birdbox sculpture. This piece is a variation of a bronze figure titled 'Femme Verte' that I made several years ago. The original bronze is 31.5"  tall, while the new sculpture will only be 10.25" tall (it may gain some height if I add additional material under the circular bronze base).
   The process for making this sculpture first involved making a clay model to serve as a guide for the size, pose, and proportions of the figure. Next I made a wax version of the clay model. I attached the finished wax form to a narrow curved shape that would not only be part of the finished design, but it would also
act as an additional conduit for delivering bronze into the figure during the casting process. I made a plaster mold so that I could pour a wax circular disk that would eventually serve as a base for the piece. Once these elements were completed, I proceeded to prepare them for casting by gating them along with the pod birds. 
     Once the figure and the base were cast and removed from the investment mold, I cut off the gating and chased all of the attachment points. The next step will be to chase any remaining imperfections and resurface them to match the surrounding surfaces. I will also need to use a tap and die to create threaded holes so that the figure can be attached to the base with a piece of threaded rod. After that I will need to make decisions regarding possible patina choices and potential additional base options. 
                        Stay tuned....    

Femme Verte

Clay model & wax figure in progress

Gated

Cast - gates removed