Curwen Gallery have just accepted the work of a new sculptor, Alex Kirkpatrick, whose beautifully finished bronze shells are causing a lot of interest amongst our visitors.
This sculpture pictured is inspired by a cross section of the nautilus shell, a mollusc of ancient origin which has remained unchanged for 500 million years.
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| Each shell is first made in clay. |
Alex works from a small bronze foundry in Lancashire that he made in his shed. Each aspect of the process, from the initial moulding to the casting and finishing of each sculpture, is completed by Alex himself.
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| Alex pouring molten bronze into the Nautilus shell mold |
Each sculpture is made first in clay, then moulded in silicon to produce the sculpture in wax. The wax shell is then encased in another mould, this time made of heat resistant ceramic.
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| Grinding and polishing the bronze shell |
The wax shell is then burnt out of the ceramic mould, leaving a cavity to pour in the molten bronze. Once the bronze has cooled in the mold it can be broken out and finished with a grinding tool and chemical patination.
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| The finished "Lightning Nautilus Shell",bronze, 39 x 29 x 12cm, 7.8kg, £3500 |
Alex Kirkpatrick's "Lightning Nautilus Shell" will be showing in the Christmas show (4th-23rd December) and his "Biplex Perca" and "Marbled Tun" will be showing in our Macmillan Cancer Support weekend (29th - 30th November).
http://www.curwengallery.co.uk/gallery/macmillansupport/title.htm .
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