Alan J. P. Thompson Sculptor
All sculpture starts out in life as a wire frame structure help erect by an "L" shaped bar attached to a board. It is in constructing this wire form that the essentials of proper proportions are begun. It is essential that care be given to getting the ratio of the head to the rest of the body - the head size is the key to sizing the rest of the body.For example: a male frame is usually 8 and 1/2 heads tall from the top of the head to bottom of the feet.
Clay is applied on the wire frame or skeleton forming the basic figure. Getting the correct proportions of the head, arms, legs and torso is what gives the figure its realistic look. It takes many hours to get it right.
The basic clay form is then carved and shaped to the final figure. As always, the devil is in the detail work of the face, hands, clothing and general posture of the figure. If the proportions (above mentioned) were not accurate, those errors are manifest here - big time! The clay figure is delivered to the casting foundry.
At the foundry a rubber like mold is made from the clay figure. This damages the figure and it is dicarded. (The clay recycled for use in another sculpture.) Wax is poured into the new mold producing a wax image exactly like the original clay figure. A second mold is formed around the wax figure and after drying, molten bronze is poured in melting the wax and sticking to the inside of the mold. That mold is broken and the bronze statue is removed, cleaned and coated with a patina or coloring. After about three to five weeks at the foundry,the finished sculpture is ready to ship.
