The Process:
Concept:
• I wanted to create a piece depicting two male lions with the emphasis on the competition to be the head of the pride. An older male lion on top and currently head of the pride and a younger male hungry to compete for his position.
Stages:
• Initially make a skeletal steel and aluminium frame to add the clay to. Leaving the work loose to create life and energy in the piece.
• Once the clay is finished I then send the piece to my mould maker to create a complex rubber and fiberglass mould.
• A wax replica is taken from this mould by pouring in hot wax and leaving it to set.
• The wax is then chased to clean the joins and cut up into sections.
• These sections are 'run up' into a wax plumbing system that allows the channels of bronze to fill the mould but also to let all the gasses out when the molten bronze is poured.
• This wax structure is dipped in ceramic slurry over a period of time to thicken up and create another mould.
• This ceramic mould is heated up to melt and release the wax from the inside.
• This mould is then ready to take the molten bronze which is poured in at 1150 degrees centigrade.
• Once left to cool the ceramic mould is broken off to reveal the bronze sections.
• These sections are cleaned up and welded back together to create the final positive sculpture.
• The final stage is to apply the patina to the sculpture.