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After sculpting in wax, clay, polyeurathane foam and plasticene, I have
found that the best medium for me is wax, which is not the easiest medium
but allows for extreme detail – it can be heated up and the sculpture
twisted into the exact position required Initially the wax model is nude,
which is where I capture the movement and flow of the body. I then melt wax
and cast it into flat sheets (1-2mm thick). From these sheets, I cut out the
clothes as a tailor would, and dress the nudes in the various clothing. This
is not only a lot of fun to do, but is also what creates the sheer look of
closely fitting clothing.
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Moulding
Having spent the last 10 years doing mouldmaking, I have always been a step
ahead in the manufacture of complicated moulds, but these original bronze
sculptures have introduced me to a whole new world of mouldmaking, where one
female bronze can involve as many as twenty separate moulds. With the help
of the professional bronze castors: Rob and Warren Knight, I have managed on
my own thus far. Silicone rubber is applied to the finished wax sculpture,
and a fibreglass backing is then used to keep the silicone in place. The
mould is then taken to the foundry and the final bronze casting done.
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Casting
I have chosen not to do my own casting, as this is an artform on its
own. Replicas of my mould are made by the foundry and these are then
used to cast the bronze figures.
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Finishing
The rough cast bronze produced by the foundry is finished off by me, which
entails one to two weeks of grinding and polishing. Finally the patina is
applied and the sculpture is then waxed and polished. The finished sculpture
is then mounted on a base (either granite, marble or sandstone).
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