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Maxwell Carraher Max Carraher Bronze Sculpture Fine Art The Reaching Man One Another When I Need You
EMOTION IN BRONZE
Contemporary Sculpture
One Another is a statement for the shared destiny of man, both the weak and the powerful. Neither can be free without the other, so a common respect must be held and maintained for one another.
Below is the creative process that built One Another.
The Armature:
An armature is the skeleton of a sculpture. Clay does not support its own weight so in order to build a large clay sculpture a metal skeleton must be built first to support it.
Being 9 feet tall Maxwell had to plan for how to remove it from his studio. The armature was built so the entire upper section of the sculpture could be separated from the lower half.
Sculpting:
At this stage the artist's vision is molded and carved out of clay.
Maxwell works in an oil based clay, as opposed to water based clay. This type of clay does not dry out and is also very firm allowing for intricate detail in the sculpture.
Maxwell's sculptures range in size, One Another is on the larger side standing at 9 feet tall. Over 200 pounds of clay were used to produce this work.
Sculpture relies heavily on light as the creation of shadows bring out the motion and emotion of a piece. One Another is sculpted in a faceted style to ensure every ounce of motion and emotion would come through.
Once the sculpture is complete it is transported to the foundry. The foundry is where One Another will undergo the labor intensive Lost Wax process whereby the sculpture will be recreated as a bronze casting. Here you can see One Another, now in sections, on a truck ready to go.
Molding:
In the making of a bronze sculpture, molding is crucial. It is the process in which the original clay sculpture is used to create a photo negative of itself. The molds will then be used to re-create the sculpture in wax.
Here you can see the sections of One Another, now at the foundry, being coated in silicone, which is the first stage of the molding process. The silicone will harden around the clay as the clay imprints every shape, line and detail into the silicone.
It is an interesting fact that in the process of molding, the original clay sculpture gets destroyed. Almost poetic, as in order for the finished bronze sculpture to be created, the original clay sculpture worked so hard on by the artist has to be sacrificed.
The Wax:
Once the molds are complete wax is poured into them, this creates a wax casting of the original sculpture. Here you see the various sections of One Another in their wax forms.
After Maxwell is done making sure the wax castings are true to the original sculpture, the work will move into the shelling stage.
Shell:
At this stage the finished wax castings now get coated in heat resistant material called slurry which creates a ceramic shell. Once this is done, this new ceramic mold will be used to cast the bronze version of One Another.
In order to pour the bronze into the ceramic mold the wax is first melted out, which explains the name Lost Wax Technique as the wax is lost in the process.
Casting:
Once the shells are complete and the wax is melted out, it's off to the casting room!
Here molten bronze ranging in temperature from 1500F to 2200F will be poured into the various shell sections. From these shells will come the bronze reproductions of the original sculpture
Once the bronze has cooled it's time to chisel off the shell and reveal the bronze castings. In this rough state they bare little resemblance to the original clay sculpture, but with hours upon hours of grinding and welding the work will slowly become what it once was.
After the shell is removed and the sections are sand blasted, it is time to rebuild the sculpture and start bringing it back to life. Here you see the sections tack welded together so positioning can be confirmed and finishing production can commence.
Patina:
After the welding, grinding and smoothing is complete it's time for the patina.Through the process of extreme heat and the application of different chemicals, the metal is given a colorful finish accentuating the form and details of the sculpture.
The finished work:
After months of labor, the final piece is ready to view
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