I am reminded of the story during World War I when on Christmas Eve how German soldiers started singing carols, then the British soldiers sang carols, then came a truce where the opposing sides met in “no man’s land”, where they exchanged gifts of cake, cigarettes, tobacco, and other items that they had received from home. There are even reports of soccer games breaking out. All this happening to the chagrin of their respective leaders. What I find fascinating is that these men had the desire to come together, even in a time of war, and share in humanity, to not see each other as enemies but as human beings. This truce lasted for several days, and was brought to an end by the commanders of both sides.

I hope we can look at that example and to have a personal desire to make a “truce” with anyone we may have differences with, and to take the opportunity to celebrate in commonalities and humainty. Be a blessing in someone’s life this Christmas season.

We met so many nice and phenomenal people and I must say thanks to Marcia and Johnathan Downes, Jill and Paul Griesse, Carol Salome, who has discovered a new state she calls “Udaho”, Jane Simmons, and Gib and Lou Reese. I apologize if I left anyone out.

We also were able to participate in a dedication of the courtyard at The Works, a discovery center for children. The Reese’s helped turn a gravel pit into a functional courtyard, complete with mature trees, a fountain, which Lou designed herself, and they have placed my Journeys of the Imagination sculpture. It is one cool place and the kids are so lucky to have it there in Newark! 

I was blown away with the community and the feeling of giving that resides there. I wish I could capture what we felt and bring it to every city and town across the country. I believe if we all had the giving and caring spirit that resides in Licking County, our country would heal any wound and we would draw closer together as the human race.

As last we saw, Little Dave had just poured wax into the mold and now we have a hollow wax copy of the sculpture. Dave then goes over the wax with small tools, almost like dental tools, to get rid of the seam and fill in any bubbles that may have formed from pouring the wax. He then attaches wax sprues to the piece which will act as feeders for the bronze when it gets poured. Finally, a big wax cup is added.

The wax is then taken into the slurry room. Sergio dips the whole wax into slurry, which is like a liquid ceramic that has binder solids in it. He makes sure that it is completely covered and that there are no bubbles. He lets the slurry run off then covers the whole piece with sand and sets it in front of big fans so it will dry. Sergio will dip the piece about 7 times, adding sand and letting it dry after each dip. Once the shell is thick enough, he grinds off the bottom of the cup then takes it to an autoclave, which is like a huge steam pressure cooker. The wax melts out and now we have a shell ready to have the bronze poured into it.

The shell is heated to about 1900 degrees and the bronze is melted at around 2100 degrees. Our guys have to wear special clothing because it is so HOT and we don’t want them to melt. They pour the bronze into the shell then let it cool. Once it has cooled, the shell is broken off and you have this section of bronze. Each piece will have to go through the same process. So, once we have all the pieces of Mark and the bench poured up in metal, we will take pictures of our metal guy welding it together.

Tell us what you think about the process and if this makes any sense!

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.

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!

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.