Metal is obviously not ceramic, but I’ve always been interested in the intricate processes of bronze casting, but have never managed to set up my own foundry.
However, in the summers from 1981 to 1987, I was able to take several bronze casting workshops at the Alberta Culture sponsored ‘Series’ program at Red Deer College, where they have a well equipped teaching foundry.
The work featured below were all cast in those workshops that I attended, exploring the various methods of casting, from lost wax to sand casting; styrofoam replacement to other.
caves, side one, 1981, cast bronze on wooden base, 32 cm high, iron sulphate patina.
At that time I was exploring the idea of arches and caves.(❋)
caves, side two, 1981. This piece was made by torching holes in a piece of styrofoam then burying it in sand and when molten bronze was poured into the spout, it replaced the styrofoam (toxic fumes!). (❋)
cowled figure, 1984, bronze, 28 cm high, iron sulphate (brown) patina. I cast two version of this piece and applied different patinas to them.
cowled figure, 1984, bronze, 28 cm high, black patina. Another piece cast from a plaster mould that I made.
drips, front, 1987, bronze, 41 cm high, cast with ‘lost wax’ method, which involves coating the wax model with a ceramic slurry, firing it to harden the ceramic and melt out the wax, then pouring bronze in to replace the ‘lost’ wax. For the drips, I cut long strips of wax and applied them to the figure’s surface.
drips, front right, 1987, bronze. I made a clay model and cast it in plaster then I could cast any number of figures from the plaster mould. (private collection)
blue lady steppin’ out, front right, 1987, bronze. This was another version cast from the mould of the clay model. It illustrates the bronze casting process, showing the feed lines still attached to the extended portions.
blue lady steppin’ out, front right, 1987, bronze. The patina is mostly cupric sulphate, which turns the surface of the bronze to an almost iridescent blue-green, a colour I love.
stargazer, 1987, bronze, 42 cm high, iron sulphate patina. This was another figurative piece cast from a plaster mould that I made. I also cast a couple of clay versions.
treehouse, right front, 1983, cast aluminum (melted automotive piston heads), 29 cm high. Sand-cast upside down. When it was uncovered the pour spout was a perfect base.
treehouse, rear, 1983, put together using scraps of wax left over from other participants’ work, thus the multi-pointed texture, and other surfaces, etc.
treehouse, left front, 1983, cast aluminum. All I did to it was drill the arched hole (very difficult as the metal was extremely tough) and put on the patina, cupric sulphate (blue) and iron sulphate (brown).
hulk, front, 1984, bronze, 32 cm long, 21 cm wide, 20 cm high, iron sulphate (brown) and cupric sulphate (blue) patina. (❋)
hulk, left rear, 1984, bronze. This piece was built by gluing together pieces of thin styrofoam sheet then sand-casting it (burying it in sand and pouring bronze into a spout to dissolve the styrofoam. (❋)
