Change Series "Aetas Novo", "Metamorphosis" and "Adventum"

These are images of my change series, titled “Aetas Novo, Metamorphosis” and “Adventum.” I like to use the Latin language when titling my work because Latin is now considered a dead language. Therefore, the meaning of any words written in Latin will not change over time. This is why scientific terminology is written in Latin. I want viewers to encounter this series as if they are discovering these forms that have been recently unearthed. Change, of course, is intangible. My goal with this series is for viewers to be able to see change as tangible forms that can be inspected. Perhaps this new accessibility to something so many people are afraid of will allow some to feel more comfortable when undergoing new change and provide a form of transition for them with their own personal changes in their lives.

"Adventum"

 This last piece of my series is meant to depict the final step in the process of change. "Adventum" is Latin for "the arrival" and I feel that is the perfect description for the conclusion of any change one may undergo in life. I see the conclusion of a change as being this collapse of an old way or system and the branching out or blossoming of a new  form. This form is depicted in my third and last piece of the series.

 This piece was the most complex bronze casting that I have done and created many challenges for me. First of all, I attempted to create a solid wax form from my mold, but due to technological difficulties, this proved not possible. Therefore, the mold had to be cut in half. This would create two separate wax  pieces that would be cast and welded together near the end of the process. To further complex the project, I had created a third portion of the sculpture by melting and dripping wax. So actually, the sculpture was cast in three separate components.

These drawings show how my instructor taught me how to create a solution for how to sprue these pieces. Each piece had to be sprued separately.

 These images show how the pieces look after just one coat of slurry. It takes approx 11 coats of slurry/salt mix for the pieces to be thoroughly coated.

 This image shows the pieces after approx 5 coats of slurry and salt.

 Just to add to the challenges of this project, one of my pieces broke the morning of the pour, just before putting it in the oven. My instructor showed me how to plug the hole in the shell with cement right before the bronze is poured. The piece that was broken off had to be discarded.

Sculpture instructor Matt Boonstra, classmate Anna Rutherford, and I about to do the bronze pour.

 Instructor Matt Boonstra showing us how to plug a hole in the shell with cement.

 The bronze pieces still in the shell after the pour.

 Busting the pieces out of the shell.

 The sprue systems are cut off of the pieces using a sawzall. And the sprues are grinded down and smoothed off of the pieces.

Two of the pieces are welded together and then polished using the needlescale.

 Then, the third portion of the piece was welded onto the sculpture.

All three pieces of the series were sandblasted and treated with denatured alcohol. Then, they were heated up with an acetylene-oxygen torch and treated with acid to create the desired patina. Last, all pieces were sealed by heating with a propane torch and buffing with wax polish.

"Metamorphosis"

I had started a series of bronze castings the previous Summer with one piece that was labeled "Aetas Novo," which is Latin for "an age to make anew." My goal for this series was to depict the process of change in a tangible form. I have always been fascinated by the human response to change and how some people have such a resistance to change. I enjoy creating abstract forms that relate to the various restrictions that one might have when trying to undergo change and how these restrictions can be broken down and overcome. The images here show my process in creating the second piece to this series. It is called "Metamorphosis" and is designed to depict the transformation one goes through during change. It serves as a transition piece from my first sculpture that is quite flat and static, and the next piece that is to come, which is very organic and

conveys movement.

 The images here depict my process during the creation of this piece. Bronze casting is a very complex process that takes weeks to complete and there is much room for error. It is also a very fulfilling process that is highly rewarding when successfully completed. Listed below are a quick summary of the steps taken during bronze casting, to allow you to better understand the pictures you see here:

Bronze Casting:

1. First the object or form is constructed from clay.
2. A mold is made from the object, typically out of rubber.
3. Casting wax is poured into the rubber mold and allowed to harden. The wax object is removed from the mold.
4. A sprue system is built out of wax and attached to the piece to serve as a funnel or outlet for the bronze to be poured into it.
5. The piece is dipped into several coats of this slurry/salt mix to build a shell around it.
6. After this dries, the piece is put into a large oven and heated up to about 1200 degrees while the bronze is being melted to about 2500 degrees.
7. The bronze is poured into the shell. Everything that
was wax will be replaced by the bronze. This is called the
lost wax method.
8. Next, the piece is busted out of the shell using various
tools such as a chisel, hammer or mallet.
9. The sprue system is cut off of the piece using a sawzall
and grinded down using a handheld grinder.
10. Then, the piece is treated with various acids if desired
to achieve a patina.





Finished Piece:

This is the piece before it undergoes the patina.