Art Foundry

Posts Tagged ‘Art Foundry’

Casting models with custom woodcarving in mind.

November 2nd, 2009 |

Throughout the years, Master Woodcarvers, to achieve correct proportions and details, have used clay to make model prototypes.

Why? Clay affords the carver to put forth his/her vision. The flexibility of the material enables the artists to edit the design to the desired finish avoiding any guessing or oops.

In addition, the model may be used to reference size, dimension and intricate details.

Taking this process to the next step is the topic of this article.

The method of creating a mold for casting the original clay design to hard materials as plaster, cement, resins, and wax for bronze casting is a method commonly used amongst sculpturers.

Why would wood carvers go to the next step? Some intricate and detailed wood carvings will take time to finish. A clay model will dry (unless kept constantly moist), change form (losing dimension, size details), and is dificult to use as a reference with a dial caliper. Thus, a ‘hard’ copy of the original design has the potential to stay for an indefinite period of time. This method also lends to duplicating your work.

Casting Models Gallery:

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If a person carves on wood and wants to duplicate the work in plaster or bronze, the rubber mold may be appllied (in preparation to the wood) on the finished wood carving following the same methods.

With this in mind, the artist will still have a choice; to create a basic mold and jacket themselves or bring their finished piece of clay or wood to a foundry. The foundry will do the before mentioned process for you.

Last week, I had opportunity to visit a fine art foundry with a friend and colleague, Yossi Govrin himself an established artist and proprietor of the Santa Monica Art Studios. As opportunity arises I recommend a tour of a fine art foundry.