It takes many individual steps to make these works of perfection, grace, and love. Everything starts in clay. The fabrication of a ceramic form then fired then glazed and fired. Rubber molds of the finished ceramic form then are backed by a plaster jacket. Wax, heated to liquid form brushed on in layers to meet the thickness it needs of many hours of chasing and polish so the wax can be wrapped in an investment coating with sprues attached for casting in bronze. All this process has to be dried so the investment can be buried in sand to then have the wax melted out of the investment to form a vacuum and then the liquid/molten bronze or any other metal can be poured in to take the place of the vacuum. All the investment is shattered/knocked off the metal form-that is when- this piece has become to then be cleaned up completely taking sprues off and grinding away everything till it is perfect to the artist's expectations. Creating the base is the next step. Drilling holes in the bronze and tapping with a thread die so bolts can be set in to hold the piece firmly together. I drew the outline for the black granite base and had this cutout made by waterjet, then polished cleaned and drilled.
Ahh, the work is endless to make this piece so spectacular - then the gallery dealer wants half the retail price to show in an expensive well-visited gallery site of esteem and Art of similarities of high quality (just to get the price needs to pay for all that went in to- let alone the artist need to survive and pay for living expenses/studio/materials/promotions/mixing and entertaining with clients and fellow artists, paying doctor bills for you and family, and a truck.
I enjoyed this piece so much. It was shown in Japan and S. Korea (1995-2010) with dozens of other pieces of bronze, copper sheets, ceramic wall forms, drawings, paintings on paper/canvas. These works were very admired and always used to represent the United States of American with regard for values and dignity of a citizen with the mixing power to be shoulder to shoulder with other artists of many other countries representing the show World Peace Through Art, 1995-2017,18, 19.
It is hard to imagine what other people think of us in countries where the only thing they know is what they see on television. From what you see on TV can you imagine what they think of the USA.? I went to each of these countries every year I traveled to change their thoughts. One of the years (2007?) Everyone showed at the Loveland Art Museum, CO.)
This show was quite well received. Nothing sold. There were big problems with money. We need a lot of things- it was all privatized-it took money to make money and a business head.