Liquid Wax to Liquid Metal: A Fast-Wax Weekend Foundry Sculpture Workshop

In this two-day workshop we will be using a combination of handbuilding and textured rubber molds to create a wax sculpture which we will mold in sand and cast in aluminum. While handbuilding is as simple as using your hands to form an object out of wax, it encompasses three main techniques and forming methods. Once you have mastered pinching, coiling, and slab building, you can make just about anything out of wax. Partner those techniques with the convenience of using pre-made rubber molds, and you have the potential to make an incredible sculpture in just one weekend! We will be using the lost-wax molding/casting method and have a size limitation of 10”x10” for “melt out” sculptures. A sculpture can be created that is beyond that measurement if a “melt out” is not required and the sculpture can be molded in two parts. Come with your own idea of what to make or be inspired by our collection of rubber molds to help create your piece. Some ideas of what to make in this fast wax workshop: a vessel, a figure, plants, an animal, sea creatures, abstract self-portrait, something from real life or completely imagined, abstract shapes, the list goes on. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want to see if an idea you have will work before the class starts!