MoonPoolStudios

In the lost wax process, a mold is made of the original sculpture, and then a wax pattern is made using that mold. The wax pattern is dipped in a ceramic investment, then removed from the investment, leaving a hollow ceramic form. It is into that form that the molten bronze is poured. Once the bronze has cooled, the ceramic is broken away and the sculpture is revealed. The sculpture, now in bronze, is sandblasted and any welding or grinding to clean up imperfects is done. Finally the sculpture is patinated using chemicals to get different colors and effects on the surface of the bronze.

Yes, currently all of my work is genuine bronze, which is to say it is cast metal, not cold-castings of resin with bronze powder. All of my very small works are solid metal, but works that are larger than about 3" will begin to get casting defects if solid so are cast hollow. This also helps keep the weight down because bronze is VERY heavy! 1 lb of wax can be estimated to weight 10 lbs of bronze!

I may expand into resin casting in the future, if I do listings will be separated and clearly marked if they are cold-cast or metal castings. If you're unsure, feel free to inquire!

Besides building the ceramic shelling, casting & welding, I do every other step of the process myself. The sculpting, mold making, wax pattern casting and clean up, and most of the metal work and patinas are done by me. I occasionally get help with metalwork and patina from my partner and a friend or two!

I get all of my casting done at Green Foundry in Eliot, ME where I contract as a professional mold maker & wax pattern worker along with my spouse.

An edition means that only the amount in the edition will be made. Some sculptors will have an edition of 1-2 and some 250 or even 2000. The benefit of an edition is that art collectors know how to value the pieces in their collections based on how many were actually made. They also let buyers know that they are buying something unique in which there are only so many in the world. An open edition means that the number produced is based on demand rather than a pre-decided number. Open editions allow an artist to keep making an income on past works because the edition won't sell out.

I use three kinds of editions. For larger pieces I have small editions ranging from 1-3. For some very small works I have open editions and I also make one of a kind pieces. One of a kind pieces are made individually and do not have molds so they cannot be reproduced like other editions. I usually make these directly in wax and they are cast directly. This is verses the process of sculpting in clay, making a mold, using the mold to cast multiple waxes and then going through the lost wax process.

I make open editions of various polymer clay designs. Each of these are individually hand sculpted and painted, so even if I make more than one of a design, each piece is still unique. I also make larger works which are one of a kind. These will be marked with 1/1 in the listing description.