Aurora's process
preliminary studies
Here is the still rough beginning clay stage of the sculpture. The body is sculpted nude first then the drapery is added after. This gives a firm sense of a body beneath the cloth. Some design elements have been rearranged and the clay stage is finished. Next a negative plaster is cast in which additional details, like fine hair, will be added to the plaster.
Fine details are added in the positive plaster cast.
The sculpture is finally finished! The sun rays were the last element added. The challenge here was to represent the cool crisp light of early dawn in the solid medium of sculpture without the use of color. Notice how the sun seems to light the edge of the earth and the crescent moon.
This shows how the two sculptures, Cloak of night and Aurora, line up when hung together.
The next step is to make a wax cast which is sent to the foundry where they will cast the bronze using the lost wax process. The blue cast is a rubber mold made off the finished plaster. The brown cast is the wax which was poured into the rubber mold. Off to the foundry!
Click here to see the finished bronze:
