Initial Visioning Meeting with Carol

Theme/pose/image of bronze sculpture

• Placement of bronze sculpture

• Time-frame for completing the sculpture (depending on size, complexity, and medium, a sculpture can take anywhere from 1 month to over a year)

• Costs and responsibilities of sculptor and client

• Choosing sculpture medium (can be ceramic, cement, bonded bronze, aluminum or copper, and bronze)

signing the contract

Once the client has decided to move forward with the sculpture, a contract is drawn up by Carol Lake Studios and signed by the client and Carol. Once the contract is signed and the first deposit has been received, the process begins.

PERSONAL MEETING

If the sculpture will be a (living) human or animal, Carol will meet with the subject of the commission. The meeting will entail the following:

• Photographs – extensive photographs of pose and details of face, hands, feet, body, tail, etc.

• Measurements – extensive measurements are taken of the face and body

• Molds – if applicable, molds are taken of hands and feet (human) for future modeling use

• Clothes are gathered that the client desires to be used in the sculpture – shirt, pants, shoes, socks, belt, jewelry, hair accessories, or any other object worn by the subject and to be used in the sculpture.

  
  ***These items may not be returned, so please discuss with the artist if items need to be returned intact.

IF AN IN-PERSON MEETING ISNT POSSIBLE

If the subject is not available for personal sessions with Carol (ex. deceased), the client is responsible for producing the following:

• Photos – any and all photos are necessary for Carol to use in sculpting

• Body type and/or measurements and information – the clients should assist Carol in finding a similar body type to use as a body model or provide height, weight, and any other specifics

• The client is welcome to visit the studio at any time during production, and their presence and suggestions usually prove valuable and helpful

• Clothes that the client desires to be used in the sculpture – shirt, pants, shoes, socks, belt, jewelry, hair accessories, or any other object worn by the subject and to be used in the sculpture

  
  ***These items may not be returned, so please discuss with the artist if items need to be returned intact.

MODEL CREATED/APPROVED

After the first session/receipt of information, Carol will begin creating a clay model, also called a “maquette”. This is a smaller model of the finished piece. Once approved, she will begin the sculpture of the original.

CLAY ORIGINAL CREATED/APPROVED

If the subject is available, it is preferred that Carol have 1 (one) to 3 (three) more sessions with the subject during the creation of the clay. The client approves the original model before it is molded and the bronze casting process begins. A second deposit is due from the client upon approval.

SCULPTURE completion

Depending on what medium the client has chosen for the sculpture, Carol may send the original to a local bronze foundry for molding and casting (this process takes approximately 4 (four) to 6 (six) months.) or she may make a mold herself depending on the complexity of the piece. If the work to be sculpted is in bonded bronze she may elect to do the entire molding and casting of the work. If the piece will be completed in a cementitious product or clay, the work will be completed on-site in the studio. Ceramic work will be glazed and fired, cementitious work can be stained.

FINAL PREPARATIONS

1. The client is responsible for preparing the site for delivery and installation, and shipping charges incurred in delivery. Some, but not all, preparations include:

   • Ground prep – ex. leveling, grass, mulch, gravel, pecan shells

   • Base construction and installation – ex. concrete with rebar and facing (brick, brushed concrete, granite) of the client’s choosing

   • Plaque preparation and installation

   • Lighting

   • For larger sculptures, other items are necessary for installation – ex. Forklift or boom truck, core drill, epoxy