Nelles

Welcome to my studio! Please continue to browse my items and feel free to contact me via Etsy message, or by calling (231-264-5858) with your questions. Unique cast-bronze and cast-aluminum pieces to decorate your home, office, or other special space. I have worked in my foundry for over 40 years. Here is a basic summary of my process:

For nature-inspired decorative objects and animals, I usually sculpt my original images out of soft modeling wax. For pieces that require a high degree of precision and hard lined surfaces - such as the toys - I use a variety of materials including plastic, hard styling clays, metal or wood to create an original model. Once satisfied with the form, I then make a series of molds of the original piece into a permanent pattern called a match plate, That is then used to make multiple sand molds into which molten bronze is poured at 2150°. Once cool, the rough casting is separated from the sand and then cut, ground, sandblasted, tumbled and polished to a rich, patinaed finish.

Scott Nelles pronounced {nell-ess} creates cast bronze sculpture by using the trades of industry. Much of the inspiration for his work actually comes from the process in which he makes it. Cast metal Toy cars, boats, and airplanes take him back to his childhood in Detroit where his father, a manufacturers representative would take Scott on factory tours. The dramatic sight and heat of molten metal became a part of his soul and the excitement of the foundry process has never left him.

Many people are aware of the" lost wax method" of creating bronze castings and sculpture. Scott Nelles on the other hand creates his art by using the "sand casting method". This process is seldom used in the arts and very few are aware of it's possibilities. Nelles has tried to take advantage of his process to express his artistic visions and also make his art more available to the public.

Faced with uncontrollable ambition Scott dropped out of art school and traveled across the country until he ended up in Seattle, WA. in 1972. Seattle was home to several small foundries. With the help of these foundries, he was able to gain a knowledge base which finally allowed him to open his own facility back in his home state of Michigan.

"Many people ask me if all my current works are limited editions, they are not in the strictest sense. Because it can take hundreds of hours to make the first prototype of each piece, I cannot afford to limit the number I finally produce. Rest assured however that all my work is made by hand in my own studio and that alone assures there limited production." - Scott