…… SCULPTURES ……
To view images, please click from the various catagories below!
Wood and Resin
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The William McKinley statue: "The Poland Years -studying for Albany”
William McKinley called Poland, Ohio his home town. He lived in Poland Village from the age of 8 to 24.
This statue represents a young 22 year old William getting ready to go to law school. It shows him taking a quick look in one of his law
books as his dog is at his side. The young McKinley sits against a davenport desk with his trunk packed and ready to go off to the
Albany Law School in New York.
We are looking for help in erecting this tribute to honor the 25th President of the United States whom we
where honor to have lived and taught in our community. Please contact me for any information or donations towards this project.
Thank you, Tom -
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Clay and Work in Progress
FAQ about how to commission a Sculpture
"I take great pride in the confidence and trust that allows me to create a clients’ wish to have a sculpture produced. To bring their concept to reality using both our imaginations in creating an intuitive interpretation and to have the opportunity to bring it to life is wonderful."
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-So how do we begin?:Commissioning a sculpture can seem like a daunting task if you have never done it before, but with the help of a few simple guidelines we can make it an easy and enjoyable experience. Whether you are commissioning a large or small, public or private sculpture, the process pretty much remains the same.
Finding the right artist to create your sculpture is the key to owning a piece you, your family, or your organization will enjoy and value for a lifetime or more. It’s best to fine an artist whose style reflects what you are looking for and who has experience producing sculptures of the size and material you desire. Hopefully that’s why you are on this page now.
Without any commitments, please feel free to l contact me. Just include whatever information you can share with me at this time and we can discus the possibilities.
I specialize in figurative and animal sculptures, from just a few inches tall to larger than life size, cast in a number of materials.
Some information needed to begin are:
What size would you like your sculpture to be, such as life size or half-life sized etc.?
What medium would you like the final piece cast in such as bronze, aluminum, resin, or perhaps carved out of wood, marble or limestone?
What is your budget? If your budget is tight let me know. I may be able to work with you on some options that may be available to us.
What is you deadline?
Where is your installation site, if it’s a large or public art piece and special design elements need for installation? -
-Are there options to consider?
If budgets, weight or material are an issue, there are many options that may be considered. Let me know if there are any concerns that can be addressed prior to the design stage. Does the installation site need to be designed in addition to the statue itself? What is your desired completion date? -
-What does it cost to come up with a design?Once the concept of the project is discussed and perhaps the installation site is visited, research and sketches for the client to review will begin. In some cases a small model will be sculptured in place of sketches to help determine the internal structure and how best to distribute the weight before a larger model (maquette) is made showing most of the detail involved.
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-What information is given in a quote?Once we go over all of the necessary details, I will provide a quote for you to review. The quote includes estimated cost, material used, installation details, a time frame, studio rental, any special needs such as model fees, transportation to and from foundry and also to the installation site.
What determines the cost of larger pieces are based on the foundry fees. In most cases a maquette of the approved sculpture is required to calculate the cost of the bronze. The foundry must be consulted and requires accurate measurements in all dimensions; height, width, depth, and other factors to be able to calculate the total cost. Sometimes additional interior armatures and structural supports are required within the sculpture to help stabilize and strengthen sections. Stainless steel is normally used for structural supports. This may be needed should the sculpture be placed in an area where people may be climbing onto the sculpture or have delicate features which requires additional strength. It also may need to be strengthen to hold up to extreme weather elements in certain parts of the country. -
-What is a Maquette?A maquette is a scaled model which represents what the final sculpture will look like. This is done for a number of reasons. First for your approval and to also work out the structural design and to give the foundry a better visual inspection to determine an accurate quote on materials and costs.
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-How expensive is it to commission a bronze statue?This can depend on the complexity of the piece and the amount of bronze it takes to cast it. That doesn’t mean the larger a project, the more expensive it gets. Yes, a larger sculpture will weigh more, then of course cost more, if you’re pricing bronze by the pound. However, other considerations can effect the cost as well, so keep this in mind when designing the piece. Regardless of the time involved to design and sculpt the subject, the time and cost of molding, welding and metal finishing can be about equal in some cases for a smaller piece verses a larger one. Smaller pieces that are somewhat complicated, can quite possibly be more difficult and just as time consuming in the long run. When it comes to the lost wax method of cast bronze, the larger the piece really is the most for your money. Bronze monuments will endure catastrophic events, and remain steadfast for thousands of years.
Naturally, each sculpture may have unique expenses, in regards to complex design, excessive detail or such as a one of kind piece verses a limited edition. Cost of materials, installation requirements, the length of time needed to complete the project, right down to basing and patina choices, are all factors in determining the final price of the project.
Cost will increase should additional structural material needs to be added to give strength to the piece.
If the sculpture needs to be installed, necessary artisans, craftsmen, and professional installers will be employed. The cost of the installation is calculated separately and added to the initial quote.. -
-How long does the process take?Please keep in mind that the process may vary slightly because each piece is unique. It takes several months to complete a sculpture, so please allow at least six to nine months for life size statues and a year or more for larger than life size pieces. A time frame will be figured and stated in the contract for your approval. If you have a completion date needed for your piece please let me know up front so we can work with the foundry in achieving your goal.
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-What type of payment plan is normal or expected?You will have to make some type of initial payment before work begins, typically fifty percent of the total cost when the contract is signed. The remainder of the purchase price is paid upon completion of the clay sculpture and after your final approval. The balance is due pror to going to the foundry. The reason for this is, once it’s committed to the foundry I am responsible for the full fabrication fees which is the majority of the quote’s total cost.
For large sculptures that need to be installed, 10% of the quote could be held until the day of installation. In that case, a three payment plan of 50%/40/%/10% will be used. -
-Can you send me a sample contract to look over?Yes, I can send a sample contract so you can see what the contract consist of.
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-Do I have a chance to approve the clay sculpture prior to committing to the foundry?Yes, I encourage my clients to visit their sculpture during the clay stage at any time. In fact the client must sign-off on the clay prior to going to the foundry. We want you to be completely satisfied with the results before the next stage. Should it be inconvenient to visit now and then, progress reports will be sent you on a regular basis.
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-What about maintenance?An outdoor sculpture should be cleaned and waxed at least twice a year. I try to clean any local pieces in the spring and fall. I would be glad to work out a maintenance schedule for your individual piece that would assure your sculpture looks it’s best for years to come.
As you can see there are a lot of details to be concerned with when commissioning a sculpture, but the process does not have to be overwhelming. Just follow the easy steps outlined and before you know it, you will be the proud owner of a sculpture created just for you.