We often turn photos into real, life sized bronze style busts. A recent client contacted us to create a bronze custom tribute bust of Ptolemy Reid, the former Prime Minister of Guyana. We discussed with them different options in terms of materials, where they wanted to display the bust, and style. They wanted to create a classical style bronze bust as a fitting tribute to Dr. Reid, and it needed to withstand the elements. That lead us to bronze as the perfect option for their bust.
If a sculpture is being displayed indoors, one option is to go with a faux bronze (resin) bust. But if a bust is going to be displayed outdoors the best option is actual bronze, because that durable metal will hold up to the elements better. Whichever material you choose the process is very similar.
We worked closely with our client to get as many photos as possible. But when the bust is a memorial (like this one) or a surprise sometimes that can be a little tricky. But the more photos we have, the more closely we can capture our subject’s likeness and spirit in the final bust. There’s also always the question of style. When dealing with a tribute bust like this, often a little more classical approach can give the final bust some additional “weight” and seriousness.
Throughout the sculpting process we shared photos with our client to ensure they were happy with the look of the statue, and get their feedback. Once the clay sculpture is finished, and we get the final seal of approval from our client, we moved on to the process of creating a mold of the sculpture. This allows us to create multiple copies if necessary and allows us to get an exact copy in bronze once we send it to the metal foundry, where they use a lost-wax method to duplicate our hand-sculpted clay creation. In this case, the foundry not only created a bronze copy of the bust, but also a bronze plaque to accompany it, do be displayed near our artwork and pay tribute to the man we sculpted.
Are you looking for a unique gift to honor someone special? Email or call today and let’s discuss your project!