Behind the Scenes @ the Foundry w/ Griffon & Crazyhorse

It’s been fantastic to spend so much time in cool Colorado while overseeing the casting process for these two beasts. My dear friend and long time collaborator, patina artist Karl Reichley (CA), will join me in Colorado soon to help complete these four new works (the first two of each edition) with stunning finishes.

Griffon, 45”h—bronze, limited edition of 5; Crazyhorse, 45”h—bronze, limited edition of 5. Call or Email for more info and current pricing.

The Rolling Cart of Metal Body Parts

The conspicuous seam-welded patches are “windows” that were cut during the wax stage (then cast seperately) before dipping the rest of the sections (ceramic shell) and casting them all—to allow the sculpture to be cast hollow. Once cast in bronze, the windows were welded back in place. The next step is to file and grind out the weld seams, then assemble & weld all of the bronze sections together to complete the sculpture. I’m looking forward to returning to the foundry next week to supervise the weld-up!

Griffon Lands in Bronze this Spring

Officially, I am spending the winter/spring out West (again) to supervise my bronze castings. Unofficially, however…

I signed the waxes for four new bronze sculptures last Friday: Griffon (44h x 32w x 12in), & Crazyhorse (45h x 28w x 13in). Currently in the gating stage of casting, the first two of each of these editions (limited to 5 each) will be ready by April. Meanwhile, it’s great to be out West—catching up on a bit of climbing and snowboarding!

Introducing: Fugue #2/5, Bronze

The original Fugue—painted magenta—featured in Love Life/S1 E8 Sara Yang (2020): Shown here with scene partners Syrinx (yellow/an early work) & Anna Kendrick. I love the visual punch of the bold, opaque colors I use on all of my original steel & resin works, but the surface and molecular characteristics unique to bronze make it the preferred final medium for my sculpture. Ideally suited for articulating my signature compound curves and dagger-sharp edges—most importantly—this radiant, ancient alloy has a limitless capacity for expressing beguiling, translucent patinas!

Fugue, bronze #2/5 (36h x 12w x 7in) by Dave Stevenson. Contact for purchase info/availability.

Strike up The Band

When I left CA (circa 1998) circumstances dictated that I had to leave a large bronze in the backyard of my friend Craig French, a Los Angeles sculptor. 25 years later, Strike & I have reunited in NYC.

Re-Introducing: Strike, bronze, #1/3 (1996/2023)!

Strike, Blood on Fire, Curves Are Female

Gallery @ my first studio: Hingham, MA circa 1990.

Studio (detail)

Shelves of maquettes inside the Hingham, MA studio, in the house I shared with the members of my rock band (1990).

Santa Cruz, CA (late nineties)

After selling a bronze to Pfizer did I invest in a Roth IRA? Nope. I left Santa Cruz for Bozeman to snowboard for two years. Did the money last? Nope but I learned to rock climb!

When in LA, do what the Romans do...

Sweating over a bronze restoration in Los Angeles?Renting a powerful Italian motorcycle will make it go F A S T E R!!!

How to Make a Monumental Bronze (in 44 seconds)

Almost Done...Final Step? Build The Base!!

Here's a detail shot of the gorgeous patina we just completed at Polich-Tallix Foundry with patina artist Rosemary Rednour. We started out with my classic Fireball Patina but ended up with what I'm calling Rattlesnake because the final mix reminds me of the timber rattlers and copperheads we encounter when climbing at the Gunks. 

What's the final step? Build the base & schedule installation! I'm leaning towards a steel, trapezoidal design that will raise Acrobat about 21"-26" above ground level...

If you would like to contribute to The Acrobat Project, peruse the Sculpturezoo Art Gallery to purchase my original art & jewelry, or click on the RED donate button on the Sculpturezoo homepage. Thank you for visiting. Enjoy the Zoo!

A Bronze Cartoon

One of my favorite creations, Poodlerat (bronze, 7" X 7" X 4") inspired the words above plus another 17 pages or so since. So when do you get to meet Fatdog, Raccoonbat & The Angry Pomeranian? Keep your eyes on The Zoo! Meanwhile, visit the Gift Shop to bring home Poodlerat: He'll keep you company until the rest of his gang of mischief-makers & malcontents arrives!

Scaling the Base

I cobbled this wooden base together with scrap wood at my studio, even going so far as to lather on a faux patina to double check the scale against my bronze sculpture. It will be fabricated in bronze next week and eventually surfaced with a REAL, stunning patina.

See that tiny little black magic-marker circle? There are a few more of those just out of sight. They mark the final spot-welds I need welded-up and chased. After that, we'll crane-walk it into the patina room!

Matching/Assembly for Final Weld-up

I drove across the NEW Tappan Zee bridge--just three days after it reopened--on the way to the foundry (& my studio) today. Not exactly the most aesthetically exhilarating experience, but still kind of exciting because I have enjoyed watching it rise S L O W L Y from the Hudson River since the project began. 

Once at the foundry, I approved the weld-up for the two sections of Acrobat--making sure both pieces matched perfectly before sealing them together for eternity. It's a symmetrical piece, so sure, I took a few measurements, but mostly it's just done by eye. The "Boomerang" video below shows us preparing to assemble the sculpture using a forklift as a crane. 

What's next? I'll grind out and polish the welds tomorrow, and after the holiday weekend I'll map out the final design for the base--then, patina time!

Spot-welding (Thanks, Bob!) some of the small imperfections that occur naturally during the casting process. Afterwards, I ground them down and polished the surface smooth.

220 Grit! 150 is So Last Week...

>"Half-crobats" today @Polich-Tallix Foundry (NEW location) Walden, NY. Polich Polish Punishment Progress?