Hospital Site Visit

I visited the location (on July 10th)  of where St. Anthony & Child will go in the main lobby .It is so exciting to see where they are at in the construction of the hospital...

(the sculpture is going where you see the white buckets)

St. Anthony & Child will have a great view of all the visitors and get plenty of day light. The windows aren't in yet on the far wall, but they will be in soon.

Maquette at the Foundry

I really enjoy this part of the sculpture process. It is the icing on the cake after many many hours of work, and once the bronze sculpture gets that patina all that remains is installation or mounting. Below are a few pictures of the maquette (1/4 life size standing 18" tall) getting a traditional patina (consisting of blacks & browns). A patina takes the bronze piece which is a gold color, and changes the color by use of chemicals that are applied when the piece is cold or hot. If the piece does not get a patina it will change colors by exposure to the outdoors and air similar to copper.

The pieces are getting spun on a sculpture stand as he (Mike at the Bronze Works Foundry) takes a torch working on heat consistency throughout the whole piece. It can be really difficult to get the arms of the child to remain at the same temperature as the robe. Once it has reached the right temperature the pieces are sprayed with ferrous sulfate. I comment on what places I think need more or less color. I particularly like rubbing the spots that I want to stand out with a skotchbrite pad like the child's feet. Certain areas tend to get too dark so it is really important to pay attention to every area. If something gets missed and it can't be fixed then the piece has to get sandblasted and started over with.

Now the wax is applied when it is hot! (sculpture on left) Once the piece is cooled a harder wax is applied and buffed.

June Days

Below are process photos of the work from this last week or more. I finally have reached a point where I have nearly everything in the right place. I've battled the armature a few more times that I would have liked, but this is just the way it is. To refine and build the work often takes the courage to destroy and pull out what is not necessary and then rebuild. It isn't much different than what we have to do in our own lives as people if we allow ourselves to be malleable. Pain encountered in the process of personal growth is not withheld from the life of the Saints.

View from Below

St. Anthony & Child sculpture in clay standing 75" tall (w/ base) The sculpture will be cast in bronze upon completion in clay and placed in the Lobby of the Gig Harbor Hospital.

Commissioned by Franciscan Health System, St. Anthony Hospital through ARTERRA

Process

Here I roughed in the Child further along with St. Anthony. I placed the feet with more accuracy using toothpicks to mark the center of the toes. I use toothpicks and bbq skewers throughout the process, so I don't lose my place. As I slowly narrow in on the gesture and placement I pull them out.

In the foreground you see the maquette (1/4 life size) cast in a resin. He is boxed in by a wood frame with plumb lines. I use this to calculate the enlargement to life size.