"Who Rescued Who?"From Concept to Creation

Lorri Acott

In a small

studio in the

Black Hills of

South

Dakota,

Lorri Acott

creates the

life sized

sculpture

reminding us

of our unique

relationship

with our

dogs,

"Who

Rescued

Who?"

First, a

maquette is

sculpted. A

maquette is

a small

version of

the

sculpture. I

usually

sculpt the

maquette

using water

based

paperclay.

I take a picture of the maquette and enlarge it to

the size of the piece to be sculpted. This helps

me to get the proportions of the lifesize version

just right.

Before

sculpting, I

make an

armature

(internal

support

structure)

with foam

and pipes.

This insures

that the

sculpture will

be stable for

the addition

of the clay,

and later, the

mold.

Using the

image of the

maquette as

a pattern, I

cut sheets of

foam and

glue them

together on

the pipe

structure.

Now the foam is sculpted with a saw. Using the maquette, the

enlarged image, and my artistic sensibliltiies, I create the

sculpture in foam, making adjustments as I go.

The clay that I use for large peices is quite stiff so that it will

stay together for transportation and molding. It can easily be

softened in a microwave which makes it much easier to use.

Clay is then applied to the sculpted foam. The texure, the

details, and the life of the piece are created now.

The piece

comes

together

quickly if all

the prep

work is done

well. Soft

warm clay,

good

backround

music, and a

block of time

with no other

demands...

This is the

part that

gives me the

most joy.

I

love

the feel of

clay in my

hands.

The original needs to be divided or cut into pieces for the

molding. For most foundries, each section can be no larger than

12"-18".

The first layer of the rubber-like mold material is applied. It will

pick up every detail in the original sculpture down to the

fingerprints of the artist.

After the first

layer is

applied, a

shim line is

created with

a double

layer of

cards so that

the mold has

a place to

separate.

The second

layer of the

mold

material then

is applied.

Keys are

created and

attached to

the

shims.This

allows the

flexible inner

mold to fit

exactly into

the hard,

supportive

mother mold

to be added

next.

After the plaster for the mother mold is mixed and applied, it is

allowed to dry. The mother mold is removed, and the rubber is

carefully removed as the first layer is cut with an exacto blade.

After the molds are complete, wax is painted into each mold.

This will create a hollow wax copy of the original to be used in

the centuries old "Lost Wax" casting process.

The wax is "chased" which means that all the mold lines, air

bubbles, and imperfections are removed. PIeces are re-

assembled to check the fit, and then re-cut to prepare for

spruing.

Wax gates

are added to

create a

channel

through

which the

bronze can

flow.

This is called

spruing.

The sprued waxes are dipped in a ceramic slip, then in silica

sand and hung to dry between layers. Each piece will be dipped

5-10 times and allowed to dry completely before firing.

Waxes,

covered with

the ceramic

shell, are

now fired.

The wax

melts away,

thus the

term "Lost

Wax

Process".

The shell is put back into the kiln and reheated so that the

bronze won't cool too fast, and molten bronze is poured into the

cavity left by the wax.

After the bronze cools, the ceramic shell is knocked off with a

hammer.

Sand

blasting is

necessary to

remove all

the remnants

of the

ceramic

shell.

All of the bronze pieces have been cast and all the shell

removed. Now they need to be welded back together.

Metal chasing is the step of the process in which all the weld

lines are removed, and the artist's fingerprints are put back into

the sculpture.

Patina is the application of chemicals and heat

to create color. It is the final step of the process

just prior to basing.

The base is created and then attached. The

sculpture, "Who Rescued Who?", is complete.

"A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor,

educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give

him your heart and he will give you his." "

-- John Grogan, Marley & Me

See more of Lorri Acott's work at

www.lorriacott.com