If the finished portrait is to be in bronze then I use the mould I made from the clay model and paint hot wax into it until the mould is evenly covered in wax to an ideal thickness of about 2.5mm to 3mm. This will then be the thickness of the bronze. Bronze melts at 1,000°C, when it is poured into the investment it cools rapidly down to the temperature of the environment and shrinks by up to 10% of its volume in the process. The thinner the bronze the less potential for distortion of the image due to contraction of the bronze as it cools.

The sitter for this bronze was Jeremy Walsh, who lives in Gloucestershire. The portrait was made in about 1988. He may have changed somewhat in appearance since - but he really did look like this then!

Marina Graham: Sculpture and Imagery

Three photos I took while I was still working on the clay