FAQ

Q. What is the difference between cold cast bronze and lost wax bronze?

A. Cold-cast bronze is constructed of a very fine, high quality bronze powder suspended in a blend of poly and vinyl ester resins. A structural network of rebar is embedded in the fiberglass, giving it superior rigidity. The beauty of a cold cast bronze sculpture is that it will look, feel and patina almost like a poured foundry bronze without the cost of the lost wax method. The characteristics of cold cast bronze provide a very resilient material for sculpture.

Foundry bronze(also known as lost wax method) is a method that needs to be done at a bronze foundry. I have my own bronze foundry here at the studio. I melt and pour the molten bronze into a ceramic mold of the clay sculpture. It is by far the most superior material a sculpture could be fashioned in. The warmth and depth and realism is unsurpassed. Foundry bronze has a 10,000 year warranty-it's a legacy that will be passed down for generations.

Q. Do you ship worldwide?

A. Yes, I do! I have pieces in every continent of this planet!

Q. What is bronze made of?

A. I use a Silicon Bronze, called Everdur, which is an alloy (a mixture of metals) made up of 95% copper, 4% silicone and 1% manganese. Silicon bronze is easy to cast with, welds nicely, and takes a patina well.

Q. Where do you get your bronze?

A. I buy my bronze either from Canada or the United States and the price fluctuates depending largely on the current cost of copper.

Q. How long does it take to commission a sculpture?

A. It depends how busy I am. For a large commission, a year is a great amount of time. For a smaller commission, I like to have at least 6 months. If you have a really tight deadline, it is sometimes possible, but I will sometimes charge more as I have to employ extra employees and factor in overtime, etc.

Q. I would like to fundraise for a sculpture. Can you share with me how other groups have raised the money?

A. A lot of my clients raise the funds very successfully. A great percentage of public pieces are done with individuals paying for it from the private sector. Some methods I've seen groups use include: selling bricks to pave the area and having them engraved, silent auctions, asking the newspaper to donate news coverage and giving room for the most prominent donors each time it is featured in the paper as well as having donors names engraved on a plaque or rock placed with the sculpture, keeping the public aware of what is going on etc. Some of my clients have ended up raising enough money to pay for two sculptures because the public was so supportive.

Q. I have a group that is interested in seeing how you do your work. Do you ever have an open studio?

A. I will often join in the Peninsula Studio tour in the Spring or Fall-I will put a sign out on the road advertising the dates as well as advertise through fliers, etc. If you would like a private or group tour, please email me and I will work out some details. If you are personally interested in coming by the studio, please make arrangements with me, but I prefer not to have drop-ins as I am generally really busy meeting deadlines and may not even be in the studio.

Q. Do you do classes?

A. I have been considering running classes for years! I've just been so busy building the business, expanding and building the foundry and with a lot of projects. I have thought about sculpting classes as well as classes that take you all the way through to having the piece poured in bronze. Please contact me if this is something you'd be interested in.

Q: Do you do everything yourself or do you hire any of it out?

A: I am able to do everything myself and have done for many years, but when I started my own foundry instead of sending my work to another foundry, my workload increased, I am now blessed with 2 faithful employees, Bob & Fred, who help me with the mold making & casting. I do my own sculpting, although Fred is also an accomplished sculptor (world-renown sand sculptor, bronze sculptor & creator of "Camossung" at the Gorge Waterway in Victoria)...and Bob is not to be underestimated, although he's yet to show his work publically!

Q: Do you cast other artist's work?

A: Yes, my two trusty employees help me with the mold making & casting, so we have begun to take in other artist's work. I will give you a quote when I see the project. I have a variety of patinas that I'm able to implement as well, so if you show me what you're looking for, I can often use different techniques to achieve a variety of patinas.

Q: What time is coffee break?

A: For any artists who have had their work cast here, they know that one of the perks is coffee break with Bob & Fred. Times vary, so don't leave it too late! Some of our artist clients are disappointed when their project is completed because they can't keep showing up for coffee...but you can still drop in, even if your project is completed!