Athena

Goddess of war, daughter of Zeus, protectress of Grecian cities, Athena was one of the most important of the ancient Greek mythological figures. This piece was inspired by a fragment of an ancient portrait of Athena, now housed in the Aphrodisias Museum, in Aydin, Turkey. The inscription on the base of the sculpture reads: “Athena in classical style of 5th century BC.” It seems that there might be some dispute over the accuracy of that description, some think it is actually a portrait of Aspasia, an important and influential woman in 5th century Athens. I will let others try to sift through that all of that, I’m naming mine Athena.

This piece is part of the Fragment series, my interpretation of some of my favorite ancient artifacts.

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Each sculpture is cast in either bronze or resin, using a mold that I create from an original sculpture in clay. If you are curious about the sculpting, molding or casting process, let me know and I’ll gladly talk your ear off.

- Editions: Each piece is a limited edition. This means that if, for example, there are 6 in the edition, once the sixth piece has been cast the mold will be destroyed and no more will be available.

- Lead Time:

- Resin cast: roughly 2–3 weeks
- Bronze cast: dependent on the foundry, generally 12–14 weeks

- Bronze vs Resin: Each material has its own benefits and drawbacks:

- Bronze is the standard in fine art casting. It’s durable, beautiful, has a prestige about it, and will last essentially forever. It’s more reliable for outdoor use than resin, but it is also heavier. The casts are created using the lost wax method, which has been around for over 5,000 years. This process is very time- consuming and labor intensive, which increases the lead time and cost of the final piece. My bronzes are cast in the Portland area by an excellent foundry which does extremely good work.

- Resin casts I make directly from the mold myself, from start to finish. I use a gypsum-based resin composite that is fiberglass reinforced. It’s light, strong, and quicker and less expensive to produce than bronze. The material itself is an off-white color which I dye dark grey, then paint the final piece by hand to resemble a bronze patina. The casts are strong, but the painted surface can be somewhat fragile and easily scratched. Appearance-wise, it’s easy to mistake a resin sculpture for a bronze.

- Patina/paint:

- Bronze can be patinaed in a wide variety of colors. The metal is heated with a torch and various chemicals are sprayed onto the surface, each causing a reaction that creates a different color. The process is an art in itself, and no two pieces are exactly alike.

- Resin is hand-painted to give the appearance of patinaed metal. I paint several layers in different colors, which gives the piece depth and highlights the texture of the surface. Color options are nearly limitless.