Thomas Stevens
Arts and Antiques

About Sculptures by Thomas Stevens

The original sculptures by Thomas Stevens are painstakingly modeled in clay, usually working from a live model. A mold is then made from the original clay figure, and a limited number of sculptures are cast from the mold. The artist has full control and involvement in all aspects of production - sculpture creation, casting, and finishing.

Casting Materials

Cast Stone, or "super plasters," consist of a mixture of special gypsum products*, sometimes with sand added, which when dry becomes many times harder than standard plaster-of-paris. For fragments, the material is usually left in it natural color (white or off white) but sealed with several thin coats of shellac. Torsos and larger sculptures usually have a faux acrylic patina applied. Cast stone has a nice heft and feel, is durable if not abused, and allows sculptures to be affordable.
Care: While highly durable, cast stone is not intended for outdoor use, except for a special outdoor product (which has a grayer color) that  is available for some sculptures upon request. Sculptures with a faux patina do chip and should be placed in a protective spot. If chips do occur they are easily repaired with acrylics.
*hydrostone, hydrocal, tuffcal, or ultracal - gardencast for outdoor works

Cold Cast Bronze is real bronze mixed in a special resin so it can be molded without heating. Bronze ratio to binding resin is about 85%. Cold cast sculptures have the heft and appeal of foundry cast pieces at a fraction of the cost, and the artist has complete control over the entire process. Cold cast sculptures are lightly polished with steel wool and waxed.
Care: If needed over time, the sculptures can be re-polished with very fine steel wool and waxed. It is not recommended that cold cast bronze be permanently displayed outdoors since UV sunlight may over time yellow the resin binder, (although I usually add a UV protective chemical to the casting). Otherwise, cold cast bronze should be incredibly durable.

  
Fragment I
left-cold cast bronze   right-cast stone