Marvels of Nature, Hummingbirds & Bronze

Making the Marvellous

The first hummingbirds by Sculptress Joel are being made unique by a number of compilations and techniques, to achieve unique heritage quality bronze artwork for gifts and art collectors.

Design in the Wax Stage

The wax stage of the casting process allows me to make differences in the positions of these beautiful birds and to change the shapes of the wings and tail. Here with the first bronze I also made a one-of-a-kind flower and base for this unique design.

Cast Bronze to Patination

Next for the wonder of patination – the creation of colours on the bronze that reflect the iconic tones of the Ruby throated hummingbird. The roaring of the torch and the careful application of chemicals to the bronze surface and we start to see the distinctive colour of the male Ruby throated Hummingbird.

A compilation of videos of this process will be coming to YouTube

The green verdigris appearance of the leaves and colour tones of the bird wings is achieved with different temperatures and Copper nitrate. It takes time to get the colour combinations without losing or changing them.

Added Fine Detail

After the main patination at the foundry I add further details at the Studio workshop. In addition for this sculpture there will be some extra application of gold leaf and other techniques for the design. You can also see the changes to the colour tones achieved with the additions of the waxes to the bronze.

The extra work makes the difference – for example for those who know this species of hummingbird you can see that the pale white spots of colour are visible on the bird’s tail

And if you prefer your bronze to be classic and simple I have prepared a pair of Hummingbirds that will be available soon and if you want a different combination of numbers or tones, contact me for a chat.