The Collected Works

Here's a shot of the collected works so far! It's been good to try so many different techniques.

Wax Sculpture

This week I thought I'd try wax sculpture. I have been collecting Buddhist and Hindu images for nearly 20 years and the finest pieces are often created via the lost wax process, whereby a mould is made around a wax model, the wax melted out ("lost") and hot metal poured in. The two metal Buddhas in the photos are from my collection - the larger one is a particularly serene and beautifully crafted Nepali bronze.

Could I make my own lost wax Buddha? I soon found out that carving something beautiful in wax is quite difficult and that sadly I am not yet very skillful! Given the looming end of term, I decided just to create a recognisable meditating figure and be happy with trying the process. I started off using a harder green wax for the face, although ultimately I used the softer yellow wax for the whole figure. It is interesting to note how different and more pliable the wax becomes once it heats up due to handling.

Latex Moulds from Metal Buddha Sculptures

After testing that the latex would not stain the Buddha statues - actually it cleaned them up a bit - these 2 Buddhas were painted with progressive layers of latex over a 2 and half hour session. Gaps like under the arms of the metal sculptures were filled in with small bits of wax. Without this the mould would not come off easily as the latex would form a loop around the shoulders. By the following week the latex moulds were ready, carefully peeled off and then cast in plaster. There was an odd air bubble but the result was quite good generally. In the pictures below you can see from left to right: the metal sculptures, the latex mould and the plaster cast from the latex mould.