My technique

I use sculpting and casting techniques that famous artists have used for centuries, along with the very best modern materials. I like to think that I combine modern materials with traditional, old-world artistry.

My original sculptures are done largely in clay, with some plastic or metal as needed. I work from my own photos for many of the pieces but I also use real items as references, such as backpacks for my hiker and scuba gear for my diver. In most cases my sculptures depict actual gear that I own. This time-consuming and painstaking process produces a beautiful, highly detailed original, ready for reproduction. I spend approximately 100 hours to produce each original figure and base.

I then take the original sculpture and make master molds. These molds are from silicone rubber, a wonderful material that captures the finest detail, but it's quite expensive, costing almost $200 a gallon! I have used other mold materials in the past but only this rubber mold technique holds all the detail I put into each sculpture.

Next I make a small number of castings, one at a time, by hand. The casting medium is precisely mixed and carefully poured into the mold. Factors such as temperature, humidity, expansion rate, set time, proportion, and many others must be considered, and a tiny variation in any one of these can ruin the casting. I can only make a one or two castings per hour since the molds need to "rest" between pours. Each mold only gives around 50 castings before it begins to lose detail and must be destroyed.

After allowing the piece to cure just the right amount of time I remove it from the mold. Excess material left from the mold seams and pour holes must be removed by hand. Then the piece is washed to remove any mold release and skin oils. I then apply the appropriate finish by hand: enamels for figurine bases and metallic oil finish with real metal powders for the figurines. Next I perform finishing steps such as drilling, attaching wire rod, and mounting the figurines to bases. Finally, it's done!

These are the same basic techniques artists have used for centuries, but featuring the finest modern materials. I have worked in cold-cast bronze, alabastrite, hot-cast bronze, silver and gold, expanded foam urethanes, and other casting media. All the pieces shown here are made from Alabastrite, a mix of stone and resin. Many well-known figurine manufacturers use this material, you've certainly seen it before. I love this material; it holds the finest detail (right down to my fingerprints in the oil on the surface of the original if I don't wipe it down), it's tough, lightweight (important for magnets so they don't slide down the fridge), and fairly affordable. These same pieces in hot-cast bronze would be about ten times more expensive! This is a wonderful medium that allows everyone access to fine sculpture.

I really love sculpting and casting. I am always looking for ways to improve my work, whether by using a new sculpting technique or experimenting with different materials. I have been an artist all my life and a professional sculptor since 1993, and I hope to be able to do this for many years to come...