Octopus on head man

I made this during a class at the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center in August/September 2024, taught by Brighton McCormick. After making a pattern out of plastilene clay, we mixed sand with two chemicals and pounded the sand in around the pattern, so that it was in good and tight. Then we waited for the chemicals to set the sand (4-5 hours which in our case meant a week, until the next class meeting). Then I dug out the clay, and prepared the mold by coating the inside with graphite. We donned leather and melted bronze in a crucible inside a furnace, then poured the molten bronze into the mold. The following week I broke open the sand, cleaned up the bronze, and painted it with a patina.

September 2024
5" x 5" x 5"