Moulding

I have removed the head and right hand in order to work-up the inaccessible areas on them.  They are then moulded separately and will be re-united in the foundry.

Rubber is painted on to the clay, seams are positioned and the whole thing is jacketed in glass fibre (not pictured) to keep the mould in shape.

 Mould maker, Liz Turner, plots the seam lines.

The rubber is peeled off in sections and laid into its jacket. 

The sections are taken to Castle Foundry

A hollow wax cast is made from the mould

Full size clay

The full-size clay of Matthew is nearing completion.  I now make adjustments to unresolved areas.  I am very happy with the movement, balance and sense of determination in the figure.

Emma

A while ago, I was contacted by a high-school student from Australia.  This project had inspired her to make her own bust of Matthew Flinders.  Her art tutor, Gary, was supportive of the idea and Emma has kindly been sending me photographs of her sculpture as it has progressed from clay model to the finished bronze.

Emma's life-size model in clay

A mould was made from the clay...

...and a wax positive taken.  This was invested and poured.

Emma with the final work in bronze.

This is only the second piece that Emma has ever made and I think it shows a great deal of promise.  

Emma's correspondence over this has been lively, courteous and inquisitive.  She has worked hard and seen the project through with persistence and determination.  I am full of praise for her achievement and wish her all the best for the future.

Committee visit

The Matthew Flinders memorial committee visited the studio today to check on progress.  The clay statue is unfinished, but most of the parts are in place, so there was plenty to discuss.  Also Charles Miranda and Ella Pellegrini came along to write about and photograph the day.  They are pictured here talking with Deputy Agent General, Matt Johnson.

Draft head

I rough out a head based on the famous painting of Matthew to use as reference.  On the statue, he will be looking down and concentrating and the likeness may well become diluted in favour of getting the mood right.

First draft in clay

Once the armature is up, I block, in clay, the general movements of the figure.  These photographs take you to the end of the first draft.

Matt Johnson in South Australia

Back in August Deputy Agent General of South Australia, Matt Johnson, undertook a short, but highly effective trip around South Australia to promote the Matthew Flinders memorial statue project and introduce collectors to the maquette.  His efforts resulted in numerous maquette sales and partnerships with key individuals and organisations.  Some photographs of his trip have recently surfaced.  Here is Matt in full swing at, appropriately enough, Flinders University in Adelaide.