"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.