Bodo Muche - Bronze Sculptures

Bodo Muche profile	Present exhibitions
Bodo Muche Studio and Foundry	"Lost Wax" Casting
Opal	Bases
Installation	Maquette

Bodo Muche profile

German born in 1939, with a lifelong passion for nature and art, I was initially trained under the Masters of the Berlin Museum of Natural History and at the Freiberg University, Black Forest, Germany, in the study of animal sciences of behaviour and anatomy, sculptural art and design and techniques for modelling and casting. Thereafter, many years living in Africa and observing its wildlife formed an integral part of my development as a sculptor. In more recent years exposure to the Great Barrier Reef and Bluewater fishing have inspired a focus on marine life. Some such sculptures are presented as awards at major tournaments.

My style of representational art after the 19th century French school of sculptors, "Les Animaliers", strives to accentuate the natural form and vitality within the composition of the subject. There is an infinite fascination for nature and our relationships with her.

My interests continue to take me around the globe and enable me to model and exhibit an ongoing range of miniature and monumental sculptures for private and public collections internationally.

My wife and business partner, Robyn, also an artist and naturalist, often takes care of our Studio's communications. Our base since 1978 is in Queensland, Australia.

Present exhibitions:

International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame and Museum, Fort Lauderdale. U.S.A., Sheraton Hotel, Brisbane. Australia.

Bodo Muche Studio and Foundry

After extensive research, I model the original form in clay or wax, which is then signed, numbered and foundry marked. A maquette (miniature model) may precede a large sculpture. The model is then cast in bronze using the "lost wax" method. After finishing and patination the sculpture may be mounted on to a base or installed securely as an interior or exterior feature.

When the limit of an edition or a unique sculpture has been produced, the mould of the original is destroyed. A certificate of authenticity accompanies each piece guaranteeing it to be unique or numbered in a limited edition.

"Lost Wax" Casting

This ancient technique has changed little in its basic principles since bronze was first cast in the dawn of civilization, making possible the creation of enduring works of art through the ages.

Wax is one of the natural raw resources man first discovered could be manipulated into a form.

Bronze is the ideal composite metal medium of warmth and character, unparalleled in its ability to hold refined detail and intricate shapes with enduring stability and strength.

The "lost wax" casting technique is the way by which a wax model may be transformed into bronze. The technique offers the artist the greatest scope of retaining all the refined detail and fluidity of the original. The process is used especially for large hollow bronze sculptures cast in numerous pieces, but has been adapted for the production of small solid objects.

From the original wax model, a mould is made to produce subsequent similar wax forms. Each wax model is then refined and thereafter receives several coatings of liquid ceramic slurry, which eventually dries and hardens into a "ceramic shell" crust, encasing the wax model within. In a kiln, under extreme heat, the wax model is "burnt out", melted and drained away, leaving inside the ceramic shell, a hollow space where the wax previously existed, but with the negative imprint of the model retained within the cavity walls. Into the cavity of the "ceramic shell", molten bronze is poured, filling every niche and re-creating the original positive form. When cooled, the "ceramic shell" is chipped and sandblasted away and the form of the new sculpture emerges. The bronze is trimmed, welded, re-worked, and refined before the surface is prepared for the important last stage of patination. The patina is obtained by the effects of heat and acids on the surface of the bronze, sometimes applied in several layers combined with polishing and sealing with wax to produce special effects and colourations. This gives the sculpture its final character rendering it a sensual object, which the effects of age will continue to enhance.

Opal
(Approximate composition of 28% SiO2'Fe2O3 = AL23 68%)

Boulder Opal is an exquisite gem, having a unique brilliance of colour found in no other precious stone. Many things about it are attractively different, especially the strength and stability of the natural ironstone boulder which encases it. Prospecting in open cut mines is an arduous task in harsh conditions. Boulder Opal is found only in the vast arid regions of the outback in western Queensland, Australia.

Boulder Opal is often incorporated into the composition of bronzes particularly in the Bodo Muche Anglers' & Mariners' Collections to reflect the brilliant blues of the sea and the iridescent "flashing" of some Bluewater species.

Bases

Stone.

Sandstone and granite are often incorporated with the bronze as bases, plinths and water features.

Wood

Wood may be an independent base or combined with opal or stone.

English Walnut, Mahogany and Queensland Red Cedar are timbers generally preferred.

Installation

Large sculptures are securely and invisibly installed, interior or exterior.