Red Chalice
The medium I use is silicon bronze cast in the lost-wax method, an ancient technique in which artwork created in wax is placed in a mold made of materials which will later be destroyed after the artwork is cast.
I begin by creating a sculpture from sketches in a material called "victory brown wax". Each work in wax is made to scale and in this way, I have touched, moved, and created every part of the work directly.
The casting process involves many steps and the expertise of a competent foundry, experienced in casting artworks. In general, lost-wax refers to the step in which the wax is melted out of the mold (lost) "poured" at a temperature of approximately of 2200 degrees. and the cavity created is then filled with bronze or "poured" at 2200 degrees. Throughout the process, if any step is missed or done incorrectly, the artwork is lost and the artist must begin again.
After a successful pour, the artwork is removed from the mold, which is destroyed in the process, after which is it chased and patina applied.
The many steps in this process take months of planning and execution, and involve many people in the creation of a sculpture in bronze. All these steps are necessary to create a work that will last for centuries and become richer in color as it ages.
The glass used in my work varies in each piece. Some is fused, some slumped, some flat. The colors found in the glass are created from a variety of techniques. Perhaps the most interesting and the newest technique is Dichroic Glass (Example: The work entitled "Continuum"). In this process, a dielectric coating of very thin layers of metal oxides is applied using a dielectric interference filter attached to the surface of glass. Transparent, rigid and stable, it withstands high temperatures and is not affected by moisture, solvents, or most acids.