You are very talented and your work is outstanding . Why did you decide to become an artist and how did you get started ?
Becoming an artist was not a conscious decision , it was something I believe was meant to be . I have never really thought about not being an artist , it was always a given and a part of my being . My real start began when I took a job at Bronzart Foundry after graduating from Ringling College of Art and Design . It was there that I became immersed in many genres of sculpture and perfected my technique with the medium . Casting in bronze is a very expensive endeavor and in the early days I would trade work with the metal chaser to shave off some of the expense . I would do his waxwork and he would chase my bronzes . We were all artists working there back then without much money and would help each other however we could .
What methodology do you use to create your sculptures ?
I like to begin my sculptures as a sketch on an easel , not in the traditional way but by building with wax strips . Once the initial idea is worked out I will take it off the easel to work in three dimensions . The sculpture will either be worked in direct wax or a mixture of wax and oil clay . This is when the original idea will evolve into the finished piece of artwork . When the wax / clay work is completed , I will make a mold to pour a wax pattern . This wax pattern is brought to the foundry for casting into bronze . Working at Bronzart Foundry has taught me how to perform most of the steps in bronze casting process . I make my own molds , cast and finish my own wax , and participate in my own patinas . The only part that I do not do is the actual casting of the bronze .
My bronze castings are limited editions usually of 10 to 12 . After the last casting of the edition the mold is destroyed so that no more of that edition can be produced .