A Copper Alliance Member
Copper in the Arts
Issue #6: October '07 - Cont'd
P.E. Guerin Foundry Continues their Legacy of Artistic Metalwork
Martin Grubman, manager, in the showroom of the P.E. Guerin Foundry in New York City's West Village
Photograph by Paul David
The inception of this family owned business - still known for it’s exquisite workmanship - goes back to 1833, when Pierre Emmanuel Guerin, was born in Brittany, France. He immigrated to New York City and started his own company – P.E. Guerin. In keeping with tradition, he was succeeded by his son, Emmanuel Pierre Guerin, his son’s wife, Marguerita V. Guerin, and a great nephew, Arthur C. Ward. Today, the company is still going strong and is owned and directed by his great grand nephew, Andrew F. Ward, making it a fourth generation family business.
One thing that has never changed is the fine workmanship and standards. They still maintain the highest quality and finest service, and have more than 25,000 stock items on hand. They are also experts at custom orders and can fulfill anything created from copper/brass. All products are made-to-order, and the foundry still conducts weekly pours every Friday in their West Village location.
P.E. Guerin showroom
P.E. Guerin artist at work
Photographs by Paul David
Casting Process Video
Video by blastOff media
According to Grubman, every piece of P.E. Guerin hardware begins with brass, and then is coated or electroplated before being painstaking accented by several foundry’s artists to provide the ultimate attention to detail that is synonymous with the foundry’s high expectations.
“Our biggest sellers (i.e., Empire, Louis XVI, sconces, provincial hardware, cabinet knobs, draw and cabinet pulls, wrought brass moldings, galleries and rosettes), can be found in just about every large house in the country,” he explains. “Primarily, it’s doors and plumbing, but actresses, actors, major business people, athletes all have our products. And, we do custom orders or anything that our clients require. We had someone who wanted us to make a hippo faucet—he liked hippos—and he loves it. Someone else saw it, and they asked us to create an elephant faucet, so we were able to do that, as well. We can make anything out of brass, and it appears extremely refined.”
Resources:
The P.E. Guerin Company, 23 Jane St., New York, New York, (212) 243-5270.
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Capturing the Beauty of the Body in Bronze: Artist Richard MacDonald
Richard MacDonald, working with gymnast model
Photograph by Parish Kohanim
In 1983, he retired from illustration to become a sculptor, his original niche calling, and he currently casts his bronze work in several U.S. foundries. Today, MacDonald’s work depicts the exploration of the soul of humanity and its anthropology in stunning bronze sculptures, currently exhibited in private and public spaces around the globe. MacDonald uses life models to study the form of the body, and create his stunningly realistic depictions of the human anatomy in bronze. MacDonald also conducts yearly workshops to pass his methodology on to apprentices interested in learning his mastered technique of realistic sculpture.
“I am dedicated to creating an emotive and passionate art concentrating on the human form,” declares MacDonald. “I am focused on the relationship of my art and its impact on the individual and society as a whole.”
MacDonald notes that his influences include Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, Bernini, Velasquez, El Greco, Rodin, and many more.
“Pavarotti was a great inspiration and I enjoyed spending time with him,” he says. “One of the greatest compliments I received was from the great tenor. He said to me, ‘Ricardo, you are the artist. Me, I have Puccini. You, you have no one.”
Richard MacDonald, working with real-life model.
Photograph by Parish Kohanim
His past projects and monuments have included Christus Rex, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta, GA, in 1985, Momentum, at the U.S. Open, Pebble Beach, CA, in 2000 and his famous Flair Across America – the Gymnast, in 1996, for the Atlanta Olympics. The bronze sculpture is a beautifully balanced figure of a gymnast in perfect form leaning on a large ring/circle with one hand.
All of his work conveys a sense of joy and pays tribute to the beauty of the human figure, establishing MacDonald as one of the greatest sculptors of our time.
Resources:
Richard MacDonald Studio, San Carlos, btwn 5th & 6th, Carmel, California, (831) 624-8200
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Nature’s Creations: Creating One-of-a-Kind Copper Keepsakes
Leaf art, created with copper electroforming
Photograph courtesy of Nature's Creations
“We have two different methods of electroforming,” explains Ray. “One method entails the use of scrap copper – typically from old electrical cables and twisted wires. The other method is phosphorized copper pellets, a copper that’s been treated and processed with a percentage of phosphorus, which allows it to dissolve in an electroplating bath. I get my copper in two ways; one is from scrap art, and the other from Univertical Corporation, in Angola, Indiana, a large American producer of copper.”
According to Ray, his company designs imaginative new jewelry and art. Each beautiful piece is great for gifts or yourself, and is uniquely handcrafted. They’re available at fine art and craft events, flower shows or through their online store. They have approximately 40 exhibitions a year, with half at botanical shows, including the famous Philadelphia Flower Show, where he won first prize for botanical and first place for botanical jewelry.
“We’ll be there this year with a massive display,” he says. “I love what I do. I never had any formal training. This is a unique art form that started in the 1940’s in Copenhagen. I saw a number of different pieces, and was like a boy scout meets a chemistry type of guy. I invented my own methods. The people in Copenhagen did it in electroformed silver, but mine are copper electroformed. Also, I had all of my equipment designed and built, therefore there aren’t any other electroforming shops in America that does it the way I do. Artists will use heat, torches, casts, energy and gas to form copper into things, but my method is 100 percent efficient. For the small amounts of electricity that’s used, the copper is dissolved in a solution at room temperature and is layered around the botanical organic material without the use of any extraordinary heat or physical force – it’s all natural.”
Copper Cicada bug jewelry
Photograph courtesy of Nature's Creations
“It’s a real Cicada shell,” he explains. “They crawl out of their shells, and I pick the shells up without the bugs, so no bugs are harmed in the creation of the pins. Good Morning America called us for samples, when they had their Cicada Watch Program two years ago. They had a chef doing them in chocolate and we were the ones dumping them in copper!”
Other examples of Dennis Ray’s work include a magnificent tri-color leaf that’s actually redwood in copper and finished with a vibrant patina. There’s also an orange leaf, created from Vermont maple leaves and covered in copper, as well as beautifully bronzed acorns that are actually scatter pins. Since the acorns are inside, over time the moisture leaves and the nut rattles around, but the accord is perfectly safe inside.
“My sister does the fall coloring with acrylic paints,” he explains. “But my most popular pieces are those passed on from families for future generations. People from around the country send us their own leaves. They could be from their grandparent’s tree, or from a bride who gets married under a tree, or if a family member dies and a memorial tree is planted. We take the leaves and put copper on them so they have a permanent blossom from the tree that’s planted. This is a very popular item for us because the people have their own keepsake.
Resources:
Nature's Creations, 6822 Tilden Lane, Rockville, Maryland, (301) 881-7813
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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: NEWS
Art Foundry Gallery Hosts 2008 Beijing Olympic Sculpture Exhibition - October 09, 2007
Raising Tomorrow's Olympic Champions
by Shray, for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Sculpture Exhibition
Photograph courtesy of Alan Osborne
Shray is one of the few working artists today who employs the rare Subtractionist technique in her bronze sculptures. Like Michelangelo, who released the human form in stone, Shray unveils her forms in blocks of clay. The piece then goes through a complex 12-step process from the mold all the way to the final pouring of the bronze. Great care is taken in the creation of each limited edition bronze.
"Not many people realize all it takes to create a bronze," says Shray. "The foundry is extremely important. I'm in control of my work and consider each work one of a kind and its own entity. I have great respect for those at the foundry who work on my pieces."
The Beijing Organizing Committee selected Alan Osborne, owner of the Art Foundry Gallery, to present this important event due to his international recognition as a sculptor specializing in public works. Since 1979, The Foundry has garnered a national reputation as one of the premier bronze foundries in Northern California. The Art Foundry currently consists of 2,300 square feet of exhibition space located in historic warehouse district in downtown Sacramento just blocks from the State Capitol. Located in an up and coming art corridor in the region, The Art Foundry shows fine art paintings, mixed media, and original ceramic and bronze sculpture in their main gallery.
The Olympic Sculpture tour will include 65-award winning works of art submitted by artists from over 80 countries and regions. Judges from China, England, the United States, Italy, Germany, Austria and South Korea were part of the selection process. Over 2,300 pieces were submitted in the contest and 386 were chosen for recognition.
Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo was head of the Hosting Committee. Renowned artist Yuan Xikun directed the competition and General Secretary Zou Wen led the international effort. Delegates from the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games attended the opening ceremony on October 9, and a private sponsor reception at the Art Foundry followed on October 12. The exhibition moves on to New York after its Sacramento run ends on October 22.
Resources:
The Art Foundry Gallery, 1021 R. St., Sacramento, California, (916) 444-2787
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