A local studio runs bronze casting workshops so I am going to learn about that process. I have made another figure that is more compact and simple in shapes, ideal for a first try at the process.
Kathryn Raffell, 2014, maquette in clay, 15cm high.
After several steps, this is the final one. The moulds are all sitting in the pit waiting for the bronze to be at the right temperature to pour. They remind me of the Canopic jars that the Eqyptians used to store the organs of their dead kings.
Kathryn Raffell, 2014, Photograph of bronze moulds prior to pouring.
And this photograph shows the top of the my mould as we are waiting for it to cool enough to open.
Kathryn Raffell, 2014, My Bronze casting still in its mould.
Several weeks, and processes, later and the finished bronze is revealed. I am really pleased with the amount of detail that I was able to get. I should have left the clay model to harden as I realized that some areas have been flattened i.e the back of the hair. The hair is longer because the neck cracked on the clay so I innovated a solution so that I could use her. As a first attempt not bad! The process is long and fiddly and I can see now why a bronze costs so much to buy.
Kathryn Raffell, 2014, Untitled, Bronze, 10cm tall.
