Cast Bronze With Patina
Heliosphere
Name – Heliosphere
Year – 2019
Material – Cast bronze with artisan patina on a polished granite plinth.
Dims – 580mm H x 370mm W x 150mm D, including a 200mm H plinth.
Edition – Limited edition of 19.
Heliosphere follows a range of works that were developed from exploring paper folding and pleating. After coming across the paper works of a sculptor named Richard Sweeney, I fell in love with the fluid nature and organic forms that could be achieved by cutting, folding and pleating pieces of paper. This shape came from drawing a series of concentric circles on paper and then folding along the lines, after folding, the sheet of paper can be cut and then slowly bent and manipulated to create this kind of infinity loop. The process is very long and you have to be incredibly patient, but when the form finally starts to cooperate it is very rewarding.
Once I had the folded paper form, I then spent countless days applying wax and building up a consistently thick layer all over the form. The longest part of the process was then smoothing off the wax to achieve a satisfying finish, which is actually one of the sculpting processes that I enjoy the most.
The resulting form is then sufficiently thick that I can take a mold from it and from that can produce a bronze casting using the lost-wax process.
This beautifully flowing form is available in a limited edition of 19. It is most suited for interior display, however can go outdoors but would require maintenance to upkeep the patina finish.