bronze koi sculpture

[CarolinaGirl]

Heres a wonderful site for studying koi pictures. this guy is a great photographer and has captured koi in every pose possible.

koifoto

[koiartist]

thank you for the lead

[Fishbreeder]

I really like the idea of casting in koi in bronze.

Several years back while in D.C. I visited an antique dealer there. He had two koi cast in bronze, more like common carp than koi, one was without pattern on the back, one was with. Both casting done in the early Meiji Era (mid to late 1800's). The detail on these casting was stunning. Scales with circuli and annuli, lateral lines, barbels, etc. If not for the prohibitive cost I'd have purchased them.

I'm anticipating your bronze koi.

Very cool.

How about casting a full grown (130 pound) Blue catfish????

Brett

[koiartist]

Hello Brett,

A 130 lb blue catfish sounds like fun, but expensive. There are just so many steps in producing a bronze sculpture.

In this craft it seems the larger you go with a subject the more the foundry is going to charge for the bronze casting. Moreover, as the price of copper increases the more we end up paying for castings.

I have many sculptures I created over the years that will never see the mold and foundry stages because of the cost factor. I never see my work as a waste of time but as a training session for working on different techniques.

I am glad you like my work, to view the work in progress just visit the URL where I will be posting the images for this koi project... http://www.handsofcaesar.com/bronze-koi-nishikigoi-sculpture-1.html (as I complete a new section I will usually post the images within two days)

Just bear in mind that the original concept may change several times as the project progresses. I am not one of those artist that thinks, “it’s my way or the highway"; I take most suggestions to heart and alter my works. This is especially true if it crossed my mind but I thought ... "oh, well what do I know". I tell people, one of the reasons I will make a change on a sculpture is because once I am done with the project, I do not have to look at it everyday. The bronze needs to please the public's eyes and not become an eye sore.

Caesar

[Fishbreeder]

I hadda ask.

Website is cool, and even though I can tell you are a proud person (rightfully so) you are not so proud as to not admit and publish a correction to a mistake. VERY GOOD.

My sincere hope is that you do cast the koi and show it to us.

Most of the castings I have came from India and China (diesel engine blocks), I do have a couple of pieces of cast artwork from India, my dad has some from Japan.

I look forward to seeing your casting.

BTW, can you do the castings in something less costly?



Brett

[Russell Peters]

Does the material used in the casting make that much of a difference or is the cost of the casting just part of the process? In other words how much of a difference can copper or bronze or any other metal make? Isn't labor or the supposed value of the product the real cost?
I am basing these questions on knowing absolutley nothing about this.

[koiartist]

Quote: Originally Posted by Fishbreeder I hadda ask. Website is cool, and even though I can tell you are a proud person (rightfully so) you are not so proud as to not admit and publish a correction to a mistake. VERY GOOD. My sincere hope is that you do cast the koi and show it to us. Most of the castings I have came from India and China (diesel engine blocks), I do have a couple of pieces of cast artwork from India, my dad has some from Japan. I look forward to seeing your casting. BTW, can you do the castings in something less costly? Brett

I hope I am using the reply tool correctly…

I have been contacted both from foundries in China and India. The cheap labor makes it feasible to produce inexpensive bronze sculptures there...

However, here is a dark side of doing business there... (Please note, this does not apply to all businesses in these countries)

China:
1. They do not honor our copyrights
2. They cannot guarantee me that they will meet my specifications for my bronze (copper and silicone)
3. With the latest horror stories involving their manufacturing short cuts and undesirable items being placed in our consumer goods (lead and melamine-tainted ingredients)

India:
1. Great prices, cheap labor
2. Stated they will meet my specs
3. However, when it came down to shipping... too expensive (I guess this will also be true for China) Large companies use shipping containers in order keep the cost of the goods down. My operation does not allow me to place such large orders; therefore, I cannot benefit from shipping containers. (containers… 20’ to 40’)

Mexico:
I had an acquaintance that had work done in one of the foundries in Mexico, only to discover that the bronze was mixed with other alloys. He was not happy after his bronze cracked and needed repair.

Hence, for some of the reasons above I will not do business with other countries unless I can be assured that they meet certain standards and that I have some kind of legal recourse if they fall short on their word.

The above is not meant to bash any country, I am only pointing out why I and other artists will not have our works produced in foundries outside the USA.

Can the foundries in the USA cut corners... YES, but they will not stay in business for long… once the word gets out.

Yes, Brett I will share the finished bronze with the viewers. If you notice, my site has great quality images. Moreover, I show my steps on how I created my sculptures. I believe the web needs to the tool it was meant to be... "To educate and share information". Many websites try to prevent visitors from copying their images, why? Any savvy computer person knows how to go circumvent any code. Other sites post poor resolution images of the art they are trying to sell. The buyer needs to be able to get the best possible view of an item they are thinking of purchasing.

All my sculptures are copyrighted, but if someone uses them as a reference to produce their own work... who cares... as long as they did not make an exact copy of the copyrighted work. All artist use referenced material to create their own works. (My wife says I write too much... sorry)

[Bob Winkler]

Extremely cool Caesar! Definately looking forward to seeing more!

[koiartist]

Quote: Originally Posted by Russell Peters Does the material used in the casting make that much of a difference or is the cost of the casting just part of the process? In other words how much of a difference can copper or bronze or any other metal make? Isn't labor or the supposed value of the product the real cost? I am basing these questions on knowing absolutley nothing about this.

Yes, the material used in the casting makes a difference that is why some foundries will try to save on material by inserting other metals into the mix...

The metal in bronze is mainly copper. Copper by it self is too soft; therefore, another alloy(s) is/are added to make it stronger.

Years ago, I never understood why a metal casting was so expensive... well after visiting several foundries and casting my own bronze pieces, I quickly understand how they justify their prices.

Foundry work is not only labor intensive but requires artistic skills for most of the stages of the process.

In the USA, labor is the main factor for the high cost of foundry work. In some of the other countries, the labor is dirt cheap.

[koiartist]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bob Winkler Extremely cool Caesar! Definately looking forward to seeing more!

Bob,

Cool, I am glad you enjoy the sculptures. I am glad this forum is available where I can share my passion.

Trying to share ones passion with others that could care less is sometimes a waste of time. For instance, whenever my brother tries talking about autos with me... well let us say it just goes right over my head and I try finding a way to change the topic.

I found this to be true with some of my friends that do not like koi or art... they just do not want to hear it; hence, I learned to keep my mouth shut.

Thanks for writing...

Caesar