Off to the foundry!

The 6 molds went to the foundry today. I always like taking a picture of the inside of the mold of the face. It looks so strange. I still have 3 more to make. Can't wait for this week to be over with.

Messy, Messy, Messy!

Once shims are put into the sculpture to create a parting line the rubber is painted on. Then each side receives the mother mold made of plaster. My hands go through a dry week as I mix each batch of plaster with my hands. When it kicks and begins to cure it does so very quickly. The means haste in putting on the coat of plaster. This is why my studio is an absolute disaster right now. Plaster is everywhere, including spots on the cabinets, the phone, the tv remote and all over me. Just a few more days of this mess. That is not a birds nest on professor Hathaway's rubber face, it is hemp that is added to the plaster to make it strong.

Professor Hathaway has gone to pieces! This is not for the weak of heart.

It is all part of the process. Not for the weak of heart. We have spent many months perfecting the sculpture only to cut it to pieces in the end. Each of these pieces will have rubber painted on top of them. Then a mother mold is added on top. They call it a mother mold because it holds the rubber in place. This process is grueling work. It will probably take me an entire week of long hours to complete all of the molds. The sculpture is cut up into 9 pieces.

Off with his head, his arms and...

My apprentice, Russo, and I began the mold making process of the Dick Hathaway sculpture which consists of cutting him up into smaller sections. This freaked Russo out, especially when we cut off the head of the sculpture. My favorite tool in this process is my reciprocating saw. I love this tool, it also comes in handy when trying to divide plants in the garden! I laughed so hard at the expression on Russo's face as we cut off the body parts and she handed them to me.

The completed sculpture before the mold making

Here is a photograph of the Dick Hathaway sculpture just before he went into mold.

The money has arrived from the TW Wood

and so I can begin the process of creating the molds for the sculpture and getting Dick Hathaway to the foundry which means he can soon come home!

It is a lot of work. Here is the process in a nutshell. By the way. WE STILL NEED MONEY TO GET THE SCULPTURE HOME. So please send your pennies to the TW WOOD gallery. Our target date is August 25th. I went to the foundry today to deliver a portion of the molds and they have agreed that this is enough time to complete the sculpture. Now for the process....

I have plaster under my finger nails.

Yes, it is grueling work creating this mold of Richard Hathaway.  About day 4 I say to myself, " Yes, the foundry should get $6-7,000. to make such a mold!"  But it is part of my donation.  I'll post pictures soon, well as soon as I can get the clay, rubber, plaster off of my fingers and shoes to be able to spend some time up here at the computer. 

It is all in the details

Just finishing up the details on this sculpture.

I hold off on creating all of the fine detail until just before it goes to the foundry, otherwise the detail might be ruined as it is touched, or accidentally bumped. This is the sculpture that is also featured in my videos. The next step come on Thursday. Professor Hathaway will go to pieces. Literally as he is cut up into sections and prepared for the bronze casting.

Who can forget those expressive hands.
I love this shot. The door is there. The pond behind it, and Dick looks like he is saying goodbye. Time to go home!

Why is it taking so long?

Someone called and posed that question. A normal bronze life-size commission can take anywhere from six months to a year depending on the schedule of the foundry. However, the memorial sculpture of Richard Hathaway is not normal. The sculpting and half of the foundry fees were donated by myself. The balance of the foundry fees was raised through the efforts of the TW Wood gallery and the loving people of Vermont. That took some time. Now they we are both working on finding the money to bring him home. Meanwhile... I would not proceed with the bronze process until I had the money from the TW Wood gallery. I have been told it is going to be mailed this week. So Dick Hathaway is being all spruced up to go into the mold making process. I expect this to happen next week. I'll record it and of course create another video of the process as promised.

Need a bit more money to get Dick Hathaway home.

We had a misscommunication about the money raised. The total amount of casting Dick has been raised (I'm praying my foundry will stick with the price they told me 2 years ago). The money for getting Dick Hathaway home was not raised. So we are scrambling trying to get this money in. I have an estimate from a shipping company, but I have decided to take Professor Hathaway home myself. Therefore we are just looking for a few more donations to cover the cost of the trip. If anyone is interested in donating to this please contact the TW Wood Gallery. And if anyone lives between Houston and Vermont and wants to host us and see Dick himself, please contact me.

It is time to go home!

Now I have become quite used to having Dick Hathaway around, greeting me in that perpetual pose. But, he has simply worn out his welcome. The TW wood Gallery is sending the money for casting this next week. That means we are putting the finishing touches on Professor Hathaway, preparing him for the mold making process. We have a tentative date for the end of August for installation, but I will be firming that up with the foundry in the next couple of weeks.