Miniature Bronze Sculptures

I’ve always enjoyed creating smaller sculptures. I like the detail and sweetness of them! Maybe it’s because I started my art career with mosaics, which are also very detailed? Regardless, they make me smile.

For the bronze sculptures I sculpt in oil based clay, which is non-drying so I can take my time. Once I have a sculpture finished, I bring it to my foundry and they create a mold using the lost wax process. When the mold is completed, I can order a set number of editions of my signed and numbered sculptures, all cast in bronze at the foundry.

In my shop you will see some examples of my smaller sculptures, the hanging dragonflies and the strolling turtles. The idea for the dragonfly is to have a bronze that you can hang on a wall, instead of needing a tabletop space. There are two screws on the back, so you can either install it directly into a wall, indoors or out, or into a piece of wood. I’ve also incorporated them into my mosaic hangings!

I often do hand painting on the dragonflies using interference pigments, which are shimmery and metallic (see below). The colors are greens and purples that change as you look at the dragonfly in different lights or from different angles.

Then there are the miniature turtles, which seem to be caught mid stride on a casual stroll. They are only three inches long, but as they are cast from solid bronze, they are surprisingly heavy. The patina, or coloration, on the turtle is a greenish blue on bronze. They make a fun addition to any small space, bookshelf or counter top. You never know where they’ll turn up!