One of the most frustrating things that we encounter is seeing knock-off sculptures. These “bronzes”, and I use that term loosely, are copies of other artist’s works that are created overseas, then are sold, most time over the internet, for extremely low prices. There are a couple ways to identify these sculptures: First, the patina, or finish, usually has the same look on all of these pieces- a slick, brown lacquer on the skin then a greenish-blue color on the shirts, dresses, or other parts of clothing. Seeing this patina is usually a dead giveaway that the sculpture is a knock-off. Second, the quality of the sculptures are usually pretty bad, both the sculpting and the metal work. I know that every artist has their own technique and styles, but knock-offs tend to look pretty bad. Third, the price of knock-offs are extremely low. To give an example of how low they are, our Circle of Peace sculpture of 7 children holding hands in a circle, sells for $99,000 where the knock-off copy of this piece sold for under $10,000. This also let’s you know that these sculptures are created from, what we call, Mystery Metal. Bronze is a semi-precious metal and is quite expensive and the cost of metal, if it were bronze, would be more than the price of the knock-off sculpture! We have had people bring to our foundry their knock-off sculptures, not realizing that is what they have, for repairs and when our metal workers have tried to weld them, they puddle and can’t be fixed.

We have had to take some of these places that sell these bronzes to court for copyright infringement.

When you are looking for a bronze sculpture, make sure you are getting a real bronze from a reputable artist or gallery to ensure that you will be making a smart purchase and investing your money wisely. Let me know your thoughts or tell me your experiences with purchasing sculptures.

Our buddy Dan has finished welding the armature and has cut and glued foam to the armature to build up some mass and create a little shape. Dan now is using his utility knife to shave and somewhat sculpt the foam to the point so he can start adding the clay. Careful with that knife, Dan! I need you to keep your fingers!

Dan has made it back from his vacation to Orcas Island, WA and has started to point up the Flight Time Sisters. He begins again by welding together the armature. The armature is an infrastructure that will give stability to the sculpture and acts as a skeleton to the sculpture.

Once he has finished welding the armature he will add the foam board. Please follow along as we document the creation of this sculpture. As always, we look forward to any comments you may have!

Sammy has finished coating the sculpture with rubber. He had to coat the whole thing, let it set up, then mix another batch and apply another coat. He has had to do that six times. Along the way Sam built up thick seams where the rubber will be cut apart.

The rubber has completely set up, so now Sam has started creating the plaster “Mother Mold”. The plaster will help keep the mold together when its time time to pour the wax, but we will show that when the time comes. Sam has a Rubbermaid tub that he puts some water in, along with a wee bit of retardant that will keep the plaster from setting up too quick, then ads the plaster. He mixes it with his hands, making sure to get rid of all the lumps. Clumps of hemp are used to give the plaster support. Sam starts by making a plaster “sausage” that will go all along the edge. Then he makes a “patty” that will fill in the big sections. After getting all the sausage and patties on, he smooths the plaster over with his hands and uses a metal tool to smooth the edges. Once all the plaster is done, we will take more pictures.

We welcome any comments you may have about what we’re doing.