portrait-sculpture.com

[Heidi Maiers]

Here's a separate post about how the patina oven experiment went:
http://portrait-sculpture.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=2813#2813

Below are the two versions. The original ceramic with just wax and bronze with traditional ferric nitrate patina.
Spent 6 hours grinding the face down to an even luster this morning for the transparent finish. Transparent looks bad on an "almost smooth" face, so had to grind out all the ceramic pit marks so she wouldn't look diseased when I put on the dark wash.




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Heidi Maiers
Forum Owner
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[Paula Slater]

Heidi,

Your patina oven is definitely a success! The bronze bust is very elegant with the classic transparent patina. And yes, the underlying bronze really needs to be finely finished for that patina to glow. I like stone looking patinas also, but most of my clients want bronze to look like bronze and want a classic patina. Yours came out beautifully!!

I also love the bust in plaster with the wax finish, very pretty

Much creativity to you all,
Paula

[Tamara]

Hi Heidi,

Very pretty. Hard to pick a favorite as each has their appeal. You wrote that the one is ceramic with wax applied. Do you have the color name of the wax? It gives a very nice plaster look. I'm sure that the ceramic looked off white before the white wax was applied- at least my bisque is off-white.

Will your client get both? How's the oven working out?

~Tamara
_________________
Happy Sculpting!

[Heidi Maiers]

Thanks Paula and Tamara!
The ceramic is just the fired ceramic with mostly clear wax. There is no plaster version.
I added just a touch of white wax and a drop of tan dye oxide to the clear just for a little added evenness of overall tone (there was a small crack on top that I had to repair). All Ron Young products (clear wax, white wax, tan dye oxide).
Spent all day today grinding down the other bronze and just finished the patina. The face is a little lighter than the first, but the dress and hair are a bit darker. Pretty close to the same though and since they are going to different places, they won't be compared side by side.
I'm ready for a shower. Really need to wear a respirator - I'm really bad about not doing that (hack, hack...)



Final photos side by side - material really makes a difference in the whole feel of the finished piece.


_________________
Heidi Maiers
Forum Owner
If you learned something here, consider donating to the COFFEE FUND!
http://portrait-sculpture.com/CoffeeFund.htm

[Heidi Maiers]

This is the kind of letter (below) that makes all that work and frustration pay off for us as portrait sculptors. The mother of the man who commissioned these sculptures waited patiently until christmas to open the crate that I shipped to her in Australia in September (it was a gift from her son).
I hadn't heard any response when it had been delivered and had been thinking that they were disappointed with it and were reluctant to say so after all that work (not knowing that they were waiting to open it) - this letter made my Christmas a happy day today. It's so nice to be able to create something from nothing for people and for them to place such sentimental value on the work. This is why I prefer private work over commercial, if given the choice.
Best to you all in 2009 and hope you get many letters like this in your career (I'm sure many of you have received similar letters already with your beautiful works!)
Heidi

__________

Oh my, oh my, dear Heidi! After waiting for so long I was able to open your carton. Yesterday was Christmas Day so my mother and I were able to meet 'Margaret Anne' for the first time. Your work is wonderful, absolutely beautiful. I'm so impressed. My 88 year old mother looked at her and started to cry. It was such an emotional time and I can't thank you enough for the care and trouble you went to in making her perfect in every detail. I just love her, and so does my mother - we all do. Over the last year Michael forwarded emails of her evolution, but still I was overcome seeing her sitting before my eyes. You've done a fantastic job. It's more than ever expected. Throughout the day I had to keep going back to have another look. Michael took lots of photos as I unpacked the box and there she was! That first look took my breath away. This person was real once and died so tragically young, now she will live forever thanks to your talent and Michael's interest in the first place.

For now she has been placed a coffee table in front of a low window looking out onto our garden. The table is a slab of bush wood smoothed to a silken-touch. There she sits with her melancholy thoughts - I think the expression is perfect given her history. It's hard to believe this is the result from one faded old photo. It's just brilliant and I thank-you so much.

Now I'm going to have another look - probably my 100th!
_________________
Heidi Maiers
Forum Owner
If you learned something here, consider donating to the COFFEE FUND!
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[Stuart]

Congratulations Heidi!
Wonderful response.................make it all worthwhile.

I've just had a 'one-reference picture' portrait figure dedicated in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A local politician Lucius Lyon.
I'll send pics later of the clay

If anyone is interested, there are some images at:

http://photos.mlive.com/gallery/4469/Lucius%20Lyon%20statue%20unveiled



Best wishes to all for 2009
Stuart

[Tamara]

Hi Heidi,

That reminds me of the type of responses a friend gives when they get a special handmade present. You can't put a dollar value on the satisfaction that gives. I'm so happy for you. I know you sculpted that one twice just because you cared so much to get her just right. It really paid off with a lifelong feeling that you added to the joy of someone else. That's great. Thanks for sharing.

Stu- Congrats on that installation. For a one photo reference, you made the lusciousness come out for sure!

~Tamara
_________________
Happy Sculpting!

[Paula Slater]

Wonderful thank you letter from your client, Heidi. Really warms your heart when the work you've slaved over is so appreciated. It makes all the hours and thought and fine detailing worth it. And how great that you ended up getting to do two bronze castings of her!

Stuart, the full-figure portrait came out beautifully in bronze, very natural pose. I remember Heidi posted a picture of just the head in clay for you a while back and we all thought his face was so alive and elegantly sculpted. I didn't see the article mention your name as the sculptor. I've seen that that tends to happen most often when it is a portrait of someone. They write about the person being honored with the portrait sculpture, but then forget to mention the sculptor who created the piece. That makes it difficult to do searches on who created particular bronzes and I also don't think it's quite fair to the sculptor. I think you ought to give them what for about it.

In anycase, here's to another Year of new sculpting projects!

Love and Light,
Paula

[Stuart]

Thanks Paula!
It is extraordinary how often the name of the sculptor is omitted.
I've often looked at the tiniest and often poor photographs on articles, bookcovers, you name it and the photographer's name is mentioned, without fail, but sculptors?

Interesting too, how statues are sometimes treated by the people when a dictator is deposed, (Sadam Hussein is a good recent example) or a complete regime is removed..........Russia and Nazi Germany were others.
Good idea that these monuments to murder and oppression are removed of course, but perhaps they should always keep a few tucked away to remind us of the dark side?

Lucius Lyon was no despot fortunately a quiet mild mannered person, a good man with the purse strings apparently and a solid founder of Grand Rapids, Michigan, or so they tell me!

I'm glad to say that in most of the other reports, I was mentioned properly and as you can imagine, I've used the best quote on my website!

All the best to all for 2009
Stuart

[Mitch Mitton]

Heidi and Stuart,
Very nice work both of you. Your work adds so much to this site. Yes, I know that Heidi is very kind to share all this with us. Today my question is where do each of you have castings produced?
Heidi are you getting castings that have just had sprues cut off and no surface work? I know you are doing you own patinas which are great but usually done at foundry right?

[Heidi Maiers]

Thanks loads you guys. I too noticed your name missing from that article Stuart and thought for sure that it must have just been an oversight on my part. Hard to imagine that they didn't credit you with the work.

Mitch, most foundries offer patina services, yes.
I have them do the metal chasing to clean up the cut offs and seam lines, and take them with an even, sandblasted surface. I then take them home and prepare the surface for patination. Sometimes, more chasing or touch up is needed on areas, so I use the dremel with different bits to carve into the metal and "resculpt". If doing a transparent patina, I grind the whole piece to a luminous shine with a dremel tool, bronze wool, etc. If doing an opaque patina, just a good scrubbing with metal degreaser and a scotch brite pad is all that's needed.
There are probably foundries to be found in every town. I use one that I like up in Prescott, AZ - a few hours drive from here. I mail them my molds, then drive up and pick up the pieces (and molds) when they're ready. Most large foundries will offer on-site installation services and/or shipping services if needed.
_________________
Heidi Maiers
Forum Owner
If you learned something here, consider donating to the COFFEE FUND!
http://portrait-sculpture.com/CoffeeFund.htm

[Mitch Mitton]

Wow Heidi the more I am on this site the more impressed I am. I did foundry tour at Shidoni, Santa Fe years after I had my own back yard foundry. My original home town, Shreveport, Louisiana had at the time a lot of indusrtial foundries casting steel and brass for the oil industry. Those guy where great about sharing information but patinas were a mistery to them and me. Just geting all the hole welded and the ceramic shell removed was a lot of work, then there was the buffing wheels charge with a sticky abrasive to progressively cut to a polish. Lost alot of detail and final said forget it. The rubber back then was a hot melt PVC or something and then trying to get a good wax and do my own investment shell and metal melting etc. was just too much work. Wax just does not match clay as a medium for me.
You do really great work and the degree of professionalism of many of the members is very impressive. Thank you for making this all so understandable and like family.

Happy New Year

[Stuart]

When I'm in the UK I generally use Bronze Age in east London
In my experience they are pretty reliable and do their best to achieve one's wishes.

It's always a good idea to be around to oversee or work on the wax yourself, and if seams are involved in the bronze to keep your eye on that too.

Patination is something else. I wish I knew enough to do my own. there are some wonderful examples by the Pangolin Foundry in Gloucestershire UK. Sadly they have chosen to handle only the work of their established clients and don't take any new ones these days.
Haven't come across one in the USA that compares as yet, but they must exist.

The patination at Pangolin is of a level that I believe all foundries should be able to offer, but sadly this is not the case. I have never been 100% happy with results. It is obviously something that needs a lot of experience an artistic eye and very gentle handling.
Stuart

[Heidi Maiers]

I know this is an old thread, but I made one more copy of this to take to a show I'm doing next month in Newport Oregon. Cast in almond granite and given a bit of an antique finish. I like this version better than the plain white. Gives it sort of an old fashioned look, which is fitting for the piece.


_________________
Heidi Maiers
Forum Owner
If you learned something here, consider donating to the COFFEE FUND!
http://portrait-sculpture.com/CoffeeFund.htm

[Phil Minchinton]

I like this finish the best for this piece Heidi. The matt sepia tones provide a context similar to old photographs which adds to the overall effect.

Regards

Phil