All images © by Paul Nitsche 1991-2024.
Sculpture
Last year I had the pleasure of working with Jeff Adams and his inBronze foundry. He helped me invest a wax pattern in a ceramic shell mold, which picked up detail and remained true to the original wax beyond what I am able to to at the University of Wisconsin Foundry. I have brought some waxes to him again to invest, and I'm happy to say the castings once again turned out wonderfully.
The sculpture patterns for the plates being molded in the fume hood.
The silicone mold and rough waxes for the title and name plates.
Four sprue trees of waxes with ceramic shell investment by Jeff Adams of inBronze foundry. The wax has been burned out and the molds are ready for bronze.
The bronze title and name plate castings after imperfections are ground and smoothed out.
The finished bronze title plate with a liver of sulfur patina and clear coat.
The finished bronze name plate with a liver of sulfur patina and clear coat.
Created in 2001 and depicting a nineteen part anatomical dissection sequence, these paper dolls are finally being developed into a shadow box piece. They were drawn on a lithography stone at the University of Wisconsin and printed with the help of Lithography Professor and printmaking master, Jack Damer. Some may recognize the dolls from my design of Oneiroid Psychosis' 2001 release, DREAMS (with pollutions when virile). I was never satisfied with half the dolls in the sequence, and so all nineteen sat, tucked into a flat file drawer.
In the long version, the paper dolls become more skeletal towards the end of the sequence, and I always felt they weren't projecting the right mood. I'm glad a shortened version of the progression got printed in DREAMS, but I didn't feel confident enough about the end stage dolls to commit to a shadow box. Over the years I took the nineteen out from their drawer and tried different arrangements, different approaches, always feeling there was some potential.
Recently I have decided to move ahead and use the first ten dolls in the series. The progression feels strongest when the dolls are their most subtle. Dolls #11 and #12 will be framed separately, as they work better as individual images. The rest of the dolls...who knows? For now they return to the flat file. The shadow box itself will be of simple design, with a bronze title plate. The piece will be called The Anatomy Lesson and will be finished early 2017.
Planning the arrangement and construction of The Anatomy Lesson.
Detail of some of the lithographic paper dolls in The Anatomy Lesson.
Comparison of the new title plate (top) and the original.
There was a sinking moment upon finishing my newest sculpture when I realized that the title and name plates just weren't working for the piece. The central image had gone through many changes, enough where the original title, "All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found", didn't reflect the work any longer. The alliteration in the title always bothered me too. But my main issue with the plates were the rough clunky appearance of the castings. I had so much trouble this year with my investment molds cracking in the kiln and the bronze flashing out. I had tried my best to salvage the plates, but in the end the quality just wasn't there. Maybe over a dozen hours of work lost. After some pacing of the studio, I decided to take the time and effort to remake them. The piece was given the new title "Beneath the Remnant Veil" and new waxes were designed, again using the hearts on either side of the title plate.
The University of Wisconsin Foundry doesn't do ceramic investment, a far superior technique that would solve all of my casting issues. I've been thinking about working with someone to ceramic invest my waxes for a while now, and thought this a small enough of a project to be a test of sorts. I had the great pleasure of working with Jeff Adams and his InBronze Foundry in Illinois and will be working with him for all of my investment castings in the future. The bronzes came out beautifully, superior detail and surfaces than I was able to do.
Finishing the edges of the new title plate.
The finished remade bronze plates before applying patina.
Dissolving Liver of Sulfer for the hot patina.
The Liver of Sulfur patina applied after heating the bronze with a torch.
Comparison of the title plates. The redesigned wax (top), the new title plate (middle), and the original title plate (bottom).
Comparison of the new title plate (top) and the original.
Comparison of the title plates. The original wax (top), the new title plate (middle), and the original title plate (bottom).
The finished frame for my next sculpture. Every element has been sculpted and fabricated by myself. Referring to Gothic design and ornament, I was striving for a reliquary feel. This will be my largest piece, with a standing height of 3' 10".
Originally titled "All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found", the center imagery of the piece has undergone so many changes I am renaming the sculpture. It will be now called "Beneath the Remnant Veil". I am working on the new bronze title plate at the moment.
The top of the frame for "Beneath the Remnant Veil".
The frame's under structure and basic paneling.
Detail of the paneling.
A Basswood carving for the front lower panels.
The frame with all of the ornament on, as well as the red bole, starting to be gold leaf gilded.
The finished gilded frame. The gold leaf has been toned down with a thin layer of oil paint, and clear coat applied.
A detail of the frame's bottom ornament.
Detail of the front panel ornament.
Detail of the side panel ornament.
Detail of a column top.
Detail of the top tracery of the frame's opening.
Detail of side top spires with small crockets.
Detail of the top crockets.
Detail of the top finial.
Several hours of gilding later, the base for the upcoming sculpture, The Ephemeral Knot, is finished. In a few days it will go to woodworker Ed Wohl, who is always kind enough to help me with the clear coat finish work.
Detail of the finished gold leaf base for The Ephemeral Knot sculpture.
The finished red oxide base coat.
The finished gold leaf on the underside of the base.
Applying the gold leaf to the top of the base.
The first of the gold leaf sheets to be laid into the base ornament.
The finished gilded base, less a gloss clear coat.
Detail of the gilded base and ornament.
The primer and color layers being added to the base for The Ephemeral Knot, prior to gold leaf. Traditionally, the red oxide colored layers would be a clay bole. Instead, I use an acrylic for durability. The base will finally be ready to gold leaf this weekend.
Detail of the bone ornament, it still needs a few more layers of paint.
The base in progress for The Ephemeral Knot.
Detail of the corner ornament in progress.
The title plate for the upcoming sculpture, All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found, is 13.5" long x 1.25" wide x .25" inches in it's bronze state. The length and relative thinness of the plate made it difficult to realize in metal using the techniques available to me at the foundry. My first attempt left the plate warped and twisted beyond saving. For the second try, I waxed an 1/8" piece of basswood to the back of the wax pattern plate, making it thicker and giving the pattern rigidity. I knew I would have to grind it all off later, but it made a huge difference in how the second title plate came out. As always, my apologies for the cat hair.
Detail of the front title plate for All Horizons Lost...
The second attempt at the title plate, after having removed the investment mold. The casting is still a little rough, but not bowed and twisted.
The extra thick title plate, roughed out and sandblasted.
Using a cutting wheel to carefully split the plate down to its proper thickness.
The plate successfully split with the extra material removed.
Back at the studio, filing down all the flat surfaces.
The back name and date plate getting touched up with the TIG welder.
The plates after the bronze has been heated in a kiln up to 1100 degrees, which gives it a black patina. This is then rubbed off in areas to get back to bronze.
The finished title and name plates after rubbing the heat patina out and clear coat.
Detail of the posterior heart on the title plate.
Detail of the anterior heart on the title plate.
The front title plate took me three tries to get a good casting, but the bronze title and name plates for the upcoming piece The Ephemeral Knot are finally done. On either side of the plates are castings of human finger bones, specifically that of a fourth proximal phalange. The bronze has been heated in a kiln up to 1100 degrees, which gives it a black patina. This is then rubbed off in areas to get back to bronze. I applied the final coats of protective finish yesterday.
The bronze title and name plates for The Ephemeral Knot.
The third casting for the title plate, just out of the mold and still on the sprue tree. Finally something I could work with.
The cleaned up and sand blasted plates in the kiln, waiting to be heat treated to 1100 degrees.
The final bronze plates. The heat patina has been rubbed away for highlights, and the protective clear coat is finished.
It was great to be outside in a sunny warm Spring evening opening the mold for the plates for The Ephemeral Knot and All Horizons Lost... But as soon as I started removing the investment, I knew my pieces were in trouble. Maybe the metal was poured too hot, maybe my investment mix wasn't right, but there was an astounding amount of flashing. Some of the castings can be salvaged, but some will have be redone.
The investment mold outside the foundry. I couldn't wait to see how the castings turned out.
After I removed most of the investment from the castings, it was obvious the pieces had a huge amount of flashing. This image is of the long All Horizons Lost... plate.
The opossum mandible still with a bit of investment around it.
The investment tree with the investment removed. Look at all that flashing- I just felt sick at this point. It's as if I brought this up from the ocean floor.
The All Horizons Lost... plate. What a mess. Besides the flashing it is warped and twisted. I tried to make it thinner than I usually do and I think that contributed to the distortion.
The ugly seven. I think I can salvage most of this, but the long title plate for All Horizons Lost... will have to be redone. There are many hours of grinding and finish work ahead of me.
Below are pictures of the last bronze pour at the University of Wisconsin foundry. I poured my investment mold for the title plates of The Ephemeral Knot, and All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found, as well as a few other waxes for future pieces. Observing this time was a group from a local high school.
Foundry pour, April 2016.
Setting up the molds with the pour team.
Practicing the pouring order of the molds.
Sculptor and Art Metals instructor Peter Flanary loading the forge with bronze. Take a look at his work HERE.
Bringing the bronze crucible out of the forge. A group from a local high school was observing.
The pouring of my investment mold.
Pouring other artists' investment and sand molds.
The remaining bronze is poured into ingots.
A sprue tree recently completed. Title and back plates for an upcoming large bronze sculptural piece entitled All Horizons Lost, Flesh Forever Found. Also the remake of The Ephemeral Knot title plate, and some other wax objects for future pieces.
Three sculpture title and name plates with a wax vertebrae and opossum manible.
A detail of the All Horizons Lost... title plate. Anterior and posterior heart views are sculpted on either side. This is the longest bronze plate I will have made, at 1.5" x 14".
The All Horizons Lost... plate on the sprue tree.
The Ephemeral Knot remake wax and the All Horizons Lost... name plate. Also a pine cone experiment. The pine cone should burn out into ash within the kiln.
A few small pieces for future sculptures. A leaf experiment, a vertebrae, and an opossum mandible.
The wax tree now in it's investment mold, waiting to go in the kiln at the University of Wisconsin foundry.
I wanted to share more pictures from the last bronze pour at the University of Wisconsin Foundry. Two of the investment molds were my own, the rest belonging to other artists.
The investment and sand molds waiting in the sand pit.
The forge heating up with bronze ingots.
Myself with the rest of the pour team.
My two investment molds. The blackened charring around the large one in typical, due to the large amounts of wax that was melted out.
Myself cleaning sand off other artist's molds.
Bringing the crucible out of the forge. I'm working the left side.
The crucible is lowered into the cradle and the crane is attached.
The crucible is slowly guided over to the sand pit with the molds.
Pouring the first mold, which happens to be mine. This is the largest mold that I have done and it was very exciting to finally get metal into it.
The pouring of my second mold.
Pouring other artist's work.
The remaining bronze is poured into ingots. About this time I was unbelievably hot. The heat radiating off the crucible and molten bronze is incredible to feel.
The rough waxes of the title and name/date plates for The Ephemeral Knot. On either side of the plates are castings of human finger bones, specifically that of a fourth proximal phalange. Note all the air bubbles in the lettering that need touching up.
The corrected wax title plate and a few other items on the sprue tree.
The corrected wax name and date plate on the sprue tree.
Brushing a skin coat of investment on the waxes.
At the foundry, pouring the bronze into the plates' investment mold.
The beauty of molten bronze.
After several hours, the mold is broken open and the removal and cleaning begins.
The rough bronzes. Unfortunately, the title plate has quite a bit of flashing. Flashing is a common casting defect caused when molten metal finds tiny cracks in the investment mold. Minor flashing can be fixed but the title plate will have to be redone. The name plate flashing is slight, and should clean up well.
I was a bit worried about how the arm would turn out because of how much bronze was used. If a metal sculpture is too thick, the cooling process can cause cracks or collapsing. Prior to investment, I thinned out what wax I could from the underside, but much of the sculpture had to be thick for future tapping and bolt placements. But everything formed well, and I'm really pleased with the level of detail.
Detail of the rough bronze.
Starting the removal of the investment.
The majority of the investment removed. There are some bones and pine cones for future pieces.
The arm removed from the sprue tree. There is still quite a bit of finishing work to do.
This will be my largest bronze sculpture as of yet, although there are larger ones to come this year. The brush on rubber mold with plaster mother mold worked beautifully, and I got a usable model on the first wax pour. The mold is going to be poured in bronze soon, and I'll be heading into the foundry this weekend to see how the piece looks.
The brush on mold of the arm sculpt with a two part plaster mother mold.
Filling the mold with wax.
The wax arm next to the original clay sculpt.
The wax arm is touched up and attached to a wax sprue tree and pour cup.
Putting on the detail coat of plaster and sand investment.
The main clay sculpt for the upcoming bronze, The Ephemeral Knot, is finished. The completed piece should invoke the wax anatomical models of Museo di Storia Naturale "La Specola" in Florence, Italy, which I was fortunate enough to tour.
The piece is a not too subtle reminder of childhood mortality. The obviousness is hopefully excused- for with classic form comes classic symbolism.
The next step is to make the mold for the investment wax.
Gratitude goes to Rebekah and Leif Hansen, for allowing me to life cast their daughter Nova's hand and arm. And thank you, Nova.
The bell jar for the upcoming piece, Ossis Fateor Memoria, is finally complete. Many thanks to two Wisconsin glass artists for assisting me in creating what I had envisioned. Steve Feren helped me invest my wax placenta sculpt and did the glass casting. Richard Jones of Studio Paran completed the cold work on the glass placenta and helped me attach it to the bell jar. I thank them both for their time and patience working with me.
The original resin sculpt of the placenta.
The cast wax placenta.
Removing the cast glass placenta from the investment mold.
The finished cast glass placenta attached to the top of the bell jar.