Terrier Commission: Bronze Garden Sculpture

Duka's owners of over 14 years wanted to celebrate his life with an everlasting memory and commissioned a bronze sculpture of him.

Being able to spend time with Duka before he passed away was a golden opportunity that provided Stephen with a personal insight into his character and behaviour. Using this as a base, he was able to develop a maquette (scale model) made in clay. This is an important stage so that proportion can be checked, before ensuring that the stance and scale are balanced and understood.

Once satisfied with the direction that the piece is taking, Stephen can then move onto the main sculpture. He starts by creating the metal armature – a structure that provides support and stability before resin can be applied to the core structure. Once this is reviewed and checked, he can move onto the detailed finishing stages - replicating fur is a highly intricate and time-consuming process, especially as it is vital component to attain a good likeness.

Once complete and ready, it heads off to the foundry to be cast in bronze using the lost wax process. At this point it can take up to 14 weeks from delivery to completion and so during this time, Stephen visits the foundry to check both quality and the casting progress.

Finally, the piece is coloured using heat and acids to attain the right colour. After cooling, a wax layer is applied to protect it from the outdoor elements and finally Duka is ready to be installed into his new home.

The clients were delighted with the resulting piece that now adorns their garden - a place of rememberance and a living tribute to the memories that they shared together.