A Copper Alliance Member
Copper in the Arts
Issue #4: August '07 - Cont'd
Maiden Foundry: A Successful Artist-Run Foundry Piloted by Michael Maiden
Not everyone steps into the career that his college has groomed him for, and that was almost the case with Michael Maiden. The artist majored in art foundry techniques at Central Washington University, then ventured into the education world for three years, before returning to his foundry roots. In 1975, he established Maiden Foundry, and now alongside several dozen employees, he continues to build on their worldwide reputation from their studio complex in Sandy, Oregon, just outside of Portland.
Maiden is a pilot in addition to a sculptor, and his love of aviation works its way into many of his creations. For the last three years, he has been working on a larger-than-life bronze series for Naval Aviation Monument Park in Virginia Beach. Several figures in the series are already installed in tribute to different naval aviation eras: Eugene Ely is represented, as the first person to fly off a ship’s deck. Another scene uses an actual section of a WWII aircraft carrier and a recreation of a hatch door from the Midway. The third installation depicts modern naval flyers, from the Korean War to the present, and it features the country’s first tribute to female combat pilots. Maiden’s team is working on homecoming scene now, and will install the final figures this fall.
The foundry’s output isn’t all about aviation, however. Their original pieces range from six-inch sea turtles to a twenty-foot-high likeness of Queen Charlotte, and their bronzes are represented in worldwide centers of power: The White House, The Vatican and the Royal Palace in Madrid.
The Maiden Foundry produces the castings for about 25 other U.S. artists who publish in limited editions. To accomplish this at the high level of quality the foundry is known for, the staff comprises not only artisans, including patina artists, welders, toolers and model makers, but also experts in landscape design, interior design, graphic design, and hydro, structural, and civil engineering. This full spectrum of talent allows them to offer an array of services to artists, from web portfolios and promotional print materials to custom finishes, bases and crating.
Table top collectibles make up the bulk of the company’s production line, mostly sold in the art galleries of major cities. But the other component of their work is the one-of-a-kind, usually larger pieces. Maiden explains the science behind the art:
“An artist might bring in a 12-inch model that they’d like to make 8 feet tall. The newest area is digital enlarging; within the last years it has become really feasible. A small model is scanned and becomes a three-dimensional database, and within a computer it’s enlarged to end size. The sculptures can be reproduced at that scale with a three-dimensional milling machine. It’s typically milled out of foam material – sometimes Styrene or polyurethane, some kind of medium that can be easily milled by CAD driven machine. That can take up to a year for larger pieces. Once the large clay model is completed, then it becomes more or less a routine of molding it. The typical approach is a rubber mold material that goes over the model. That’s supported with a secondary, stiffer mold. You put the rubber on the sculpture, then you put something on like fiberglass. Once you’ve got a rubber mold, you’ve captured everything and you can reproduce it from that mold.”
As for his own work, American Bald Eagles are what he displays most in galleries, and he’s sold thousands of them. The reward has been more than monetary.
”I’ve enjoyed doing those birds, for everything from their patriotic symbolism to their environmental recovery,” he says.
That patriotism is reflected in names like The Great American, a 100-pound eagle cast from .999 pure fine silver. It’s also acknowledged in his other art. USA Today commissioned him to do copy of the Statue of Freedom that crowns the U.S. Capitol Building. His 8-foot-tall version now anchors Freedom Park, the outdoor museum in Arlington, Virginia.
Maiden has built one of the largest foundries in the world – thanks partly his skilled and dedicated team, and partly because he’s managed to blend his training with his talent, and business acumen with his personal passions. And that, is the art of success.
Michael Maiden with Eugene Ely Bronze
Photograph courtesy of Michael Maiden
The foundry’s output isn’t all about aviation, however. Their original pieces range from six-inch sea turtles to a twenty-foot-high likeness of Queen Charlotte, and their bronzes are represented in worldwide centers of power: The White House, The Vatican and the Royal Palace in Madrid.
The Maiden Foundry produces the castings for about 25 other U.S. artists who publish in limited editions. To accomplish this at the high level of quality the foundry is known for, the staff comprises not only artisans, including patina artists, welders, toolers and model makers, but also experts in landscape design, interior design, graphic design, and hydro, structural, and civil engineering. This full spectrum of talent allows them to offer an array of services to artists, from web portfolios and promotional print materials to custom finishes, bases and crating.
Table top collectibles make up the bulk of the company’s production line, mostly sold in the art galleries of major cities. But the other component of their work is the one-of-a-kind, usually larger pieces. Maiden explains the science behind the art:
Maiden Foundry artists work on Mystery Horse
sculpture by Buckeye Black
Mystery Horse, completed, close up
Photographs courtesy of Maiden Foundry
As for his own work, American Bald Eagles are what he displays most in galleries, and he’s sold thousands of them. The reward has been more than monetary.
”I’ve enjoyed doing those birds, for everything from their patriotic symbolism to their environmental recovery,” he says.
That patriotism is reflected in names like The Great American, a 100-pound eagle cast from .999 pure fine silver. It’s also acknowledged in his other art. USA Today commissioned him to do copy of the Statue of Freedom that crowns the U.S. Capitol Building. His 8-foot-tall version now anchors Freedom Park, the outdoor museum in Arlington, Virginia.
Maiden has built one of the largest foundries in the world – thanks partly his skilled and dedicated team, and partly because he’s managed to blend his training with his talent, and business acumen with his personal passions. And that, is the art of success.
Resources:
The Maiden Foundry, (800) 422-8852, is located at 16600 SE 362nd Dr., Sandy, Oregon
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Steel by Day, Copper by Night: Outside Folk Artist Dave Nally
Artist Dave Nally in his studio, cutting out a copper tulip
Photograph by Paul David
“I make steel for a living during the day by using copper in the steel mill, then come home and transform it into art,” explains Nally (aka, Big Dutch.) “I’m a self-taught artist who’s been creating art since grade school. I work in a variety of mediums, and I’m known for some of my drawings but, at the same time, I sometimes slip the drawings from my paper and use a mixed medium that includes copper. People always respond to metal artwork with its different patinas. Copper works well for me because it’s a great, easy metal to work and people are receiving unique, one-of-a-kind pieces. It's an excellent medium for the way I create.”
Dave Nally's Copper Window
Photograph by Paul David
“I wrap sheet copper around a block of wood then fabricate something like a rocket ship,” he says. “I solder a long strip of copper to the back, fasten that to the block, and then the rocket ship appears as if it’s suspended in air. If a person touches it, it bounces around and motion is provided. I also make birds using the same principle and cut out a heart in the center. People always enjoy three-dimensional work. I just follow my own whims, then place these pieces in galleries or present them as gifts.”
This talented outsider folk artist also utilizes old doors. He paints them, takes the sheet copper and cuts out flowers or letters for words, then nails them into the door. At that point it becomes an ingenious piece of art. It’s not used as a real door in a home because at that point the door could be cut in half. For the past 20 years, Nally has also created trinkets from roofing copper as well as well as all types of jewelry; bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces.
Copper bracelet by Dave Nally
Photograph by Paul David
Nally also designed a copper window that separates his back porch from his house. He removed the glass, replaced it with a sheet of copper, and cut out areas of the copper sheeting to fabricate small trinkets to hang in there – like little houses, apartment buildings, hearts and other icons, that he uses in his drawings to make architectural pieces.
Resources:
Dave Nally’s work can be seen at Goggleworks Center for the Arts, and Yard Dog.
Video: Dave Nally soldering a copper tulip in his unique signature style.
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Video: Dave Nally soldering a copper tulip in his unique signature style.
Copper in the Arts: EVENTS
- Palm Beach Jewelry, Art, and Antique Show
Feb 15, '13 - Feb 18, '13 - Native Expressions: Dave McGary’s Bronze Realism
Mar 7, '13 - Jun 30, '13 - Evolving Character Head Demonstration with John Coleman
Mar 9, '13 - Mar 9, '13 - More Upcoming Events...
Copper in the Arts: HISTORY
The Legend of the Moscow Mule: The Copper Cup that Could
1966 vintage magazine ad featuring
Woody Allen and the Moscow Mule
Most cocktails require specific glassware for their drinks—the highball and the martini glass, for example—however, the copper mug for the Moscow Mule is a must. If the old stories about the genesis of the drink are correct (they are mostly unanimous with a few variations) then it goes like this. In the early 1940s, John Martin was the president of G.F. Heublein & Brothers, an East Coast food and spirits importer best known for introducing A-1 Steak Sauce to America. Sometime in the 1930s, Martin, in an effort to market the next cocktail craze, purchased a small vodka distillery called Smirnoff for $14,000. Yes, that Smirnoff. Back then, very few people drank vodka because most had never heard of it, let alone tasted it.
One day, while Martin was visiting his friend Jack Morgan who owned the Cock 'n Bull pub on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, he bemoaned the fact that he couldn’t sell his vodka. Morgan complained he couldn’t sell his ginger beer, a side passion of his that saw cases of it sitting in his restaurant’s basement. And a third person (never identified in any of the stories) lamented that she had copper mugs that she either didn’t want or need. Enter the brainstorm. Could all three benefit from combining their losses? The vodka and ginger beer were mixed with a dash of limejuice and served in copper mugs, imprinted with a kicking mule.
1996 Moscow Mule
Photograph by Smirnoff.com
The result was that the Moscow Mule became a huge hit within a few years, helped by the Hollywood set and their affinity for the latest cocktail trends. Copper mugs were soon ordered across the country to support the lively libation.
But, as popular as it was, the original Moscow Mule is rarely seen outside of vintage magazine ads. Although, in 1996, a ready-to-drink version of the Smirnoff Mule was re-introduced in a copper bottle.
As a testament to the correctness of the drink, you can still by original copper mugs from the 1940s at flea markets and on eBay. Some companies even market a set of four copper mugs for about $120. The original copper mugs weighed eight ounces and measured three and a quarter inches tall with a three-inch diameter base. The underside was imprinted with the words, “A Cock ‘n Bull product.”
To make your own Moscow Mule, mix two ounces of vodka, four ounces of ginger beer (ginger ale will suffice, but ginger beer is preferred) and one ounce of limejuice. Garnish with a lime wedge. Make sure that you’ve properly served it in your copper mug, and enjoy.
Resources:
Video: How to Make a Moscow Mule (but we insist on the copper cup next time).
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Copper in the Arts: NEWS
MIA Purchases Rare Bronze Masterpiece of African Sculpture - August 13, 2007
MIA's newly acquired Benin Head
Photograph courtesy of MIA
“This memorial head from the Kingdom of Benin is a magnificent object, representing one of the world’s major artistic traditions,” said William M. Griswold, Director and President of the MIA. “The acquisition of this masterpiece of African art demonstrates our ongoing commitment to strengthening our holdings in this and, indeed, every collection area with objects of the greatest quality and significance.”
Purchased from a European dealer, the memorial head is a major addition to the MIA’s collection of African art. The sculpture stands nearly twelve inches high and dates between 1550 and 1650, the so-called “middle period” of Benin art, which many consider the high point of Benin artistic production. The Benin culture is known for creating superb bronze sculptures to honor its Obas (or kings). In this case, the Oba is shown wearing a hat and a multi-strand coral-bead necklace, with another coral bead on his forehead. Brought across the Sahara from the Mediterranean Sea, coral was the sole property of the king and symbolized his power through his control of international trade. Memorial heads such as this were meant to capture the essence of the Oba’s power, and were placed on shrines with other important objects. A hole in the top of the head would have held a carved elephant tusk chronicling the activities of the honored Oba.
Few Benin bronze heads remain in private hands, but a number of early (1400–1550) and middle period examples are held in other public collections in this country and abroad. Comparable middle period examples can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, and the Museum für Völkerkunde in Vienna.
“This is a great addition to our collection,” said Joe D. Horse Capture, acting curator of African, Oceanic, and Native American Art at the MIA. “This head is equal in stature to the greatest masterpieces of our collection of African, Oceanic, and Native American art, and will allow us to better tell the important story of Benin art and culture for our visitors.”
The MIA has more than 1,630 objects from Africa. Other African highlights include a terracotta shrine head from the royal city of Ife, a pre-colonial culture of present-day Nigeria, made between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries; a wooden equestrian figure made between the tenth and thirteenth centuries by an artist from the Djenne culture, once located in present-day Mali; and a terracotta seated figure from the Nok culture, a civilization that existed in present-day northern Nigeria from approximately 500 B.C. to 500 A.D.
Resources:
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, (612) 870-3131, is located at 2400 Third Ave. South, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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