Artist, Rahul Vyas has a rich connection to his sculptures. His most recently completed sculpture, titled Lioness & Crocodile, was a pleasure to take through The Lost Wax Process here at Hefestus Fine Arts.
This is not the first nor last sculpture of Rahul’s to be cast in bronze. Previously we have completed his Lion & Gazelle, which we are casting 3 more of now! Recently he has brought in a new sculpture, which is scheduled to be completed in the next couple of months!
Rahul Vyas’ ability to create these complex sculptures makes for exciting and intriguing work here at the foundry as well!
Mold making is a very dynamic process with many different techniques and types and the mold created on this sculpture really highlights how dynamic a mold can be.
Moving on to casting a wax pattern; which we have recently highlighted and received positive feedback! Getting a wax pattern for the Lioness and Crocodile has reached over 40k pieces of engagement. An unexpected excitement for sure!
After all the fun, we chased the wax patterns to remove any seam lines or imperfections, and then we prepped the sculpture for it’s second mold, the investment mold, setting up the sculpture on cups with proper venting and gating to aid in a clean bronze casting.
Adding all eight layers of investment mold, Lioness & Crocodile awaited the part of The Lost Wax Process which is its namesake, melting out the wax pattern. Melting out the wax pattern, which was so meticulously chased and put back together, creates room for the molten bronze to be poured in its place.
Arguably the most magical part of The Lost Wax Process, is pouring molten bronze into an investment mold. Even though the whole process is not complete, the sculpture is officially cast in bronze and history is made. A bit dramatic, but like we wrote, it is a magical process.
From casting the bronze to chipping away the investment mold, which held the details from the wax pattern, we then begin to remove the sprues, cups and gates which are no longer needed.
Working on a sculpture like Lioness & Crocodile is a fun task, of course it is work to be done, but there is so much more to see and learn about bronze when you are working with such a unique sculpture.
There are many steps within the metalwork of a sculpture, especially with as much detail as the Lioness & Crocodile has. From welding the sculpture back together, the seam lines must be removed and the original texture must be matched. The art of matching texture requires skill and attention to detail.
Once the metal work is complete and the sculpture is sandblasted it is finally time to patina the Lioness & Crocodile. Rahul is an artist who enjoys being involved with the patination process. Watching this patina unfold was so special! The faces made as the sculpture reaches its final patina are just great, because you don’t know what will happen next, then all of a sudden it seems, you see the completed work; Lioness & Crocodile’s patina was quite rewarding.
The final touches for Lioness & Crocodile were a wood base, a photo shoot and a drive to it’s new home. Rahul Vyas is a joy to work with and his sculptures always grant Ooo’s and Ahh’s. We look forward to a continued business relationship with Rahul and are excited for future projects.
For more information and artwork from artist, Rahul Vyas, visit his website here.
Watch the full video of Lioness & Crocodile going through The Lost Wax Process here.