News Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Bronze Africa by John Tolmay

Introducing my American pieces

I have started to diversify my range of work and the natural direction for me to go in is to start making sculptures with a North American theme. Obviously it’s a step in a slightly different direction for me but then my long association with the US makes the step that much easier to make.

There will be 4 more pieces released shortly but for now enjoy this small taste of what’s to come and you can find ‘High Plains Drifter’ – sculpture of a Bison on the plains of Montana – in the American Wildlife gallery.

Georgie2019-08-07T22:32:18-04:00November 30th, 2016|News|

Behind the Scenes

A lot of people have started to ask me about the Foundry and what it is like to bring a wax or a clay piece to life. So I have put together a little series of images for you give you a feeling of what the ‘back-end’ of my work looks like.

In order of appearance:

Putting the patina on the piece called Gentle Giant of the Savannah. It’s messy work and the chemicals are noxious and dangerous to say the least but it’s that careful blending of heat and chemicals that brings up all the texturing and nuances in the piece and this is what I already have in my mind when I am still in the wax or clay stage.
Putting the patina on Belligerence – thought it was never going to end but I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to achieve. Very happy with the result.
Cal Paulson handling the heat. Here he is putting the finishing touches to the Stag that was made for the Deer Path Inn.
Sculpting the moose that we will be collecting next week from the Foundry.
The new hydraulic lift we have had to purchase in order to be able to move all 250lbs of Belligerence around. A great tool that will be useful for a few others too. Not getting any younger you know.

Georgie2019-11-18T17:45:00-04:00November 30th, 2016|Antelope, Cape Buffalo, Exhibitions, News|

Getting your head around sizes

It’s not always evident how big a piece is in comparison to another and with this in mind I offer you some material to help you understand relative scaling in 3 groups of sculptures. The first selection is of Accepting the Challenge, Jungle Ghost and Gentle Giant.

The second selection is of the two main kudu sculptures and the third selection is of the three warthog pieces.

The images were taken to show relative height and width of each piece.

Hope this helps you understand better the scaling on these pieces.

Georgie2019-08-07T00:54:40-04:00May 23rd, 2016|Antelope, Kudu, News, Warthog|

A new Buffalo Sculpture

After The War Department sold out in Dallas last year it was clear that another large-scale multifaceted buffalo sculpture was called for and so – never one to avoid taking on a big challenge – herewith my latest offering still in the clay.

At this stage I can only guess at how heavy the piece will be and I will be keeping the edition number very low. A sixth buffalo will be added to the back and then all the texturing and detailing will be applied.

My daughter Georgie, and quite possibly my harshest critic (being an artist herself), calls this sculpture one of my “signature pieces.” I am under firm instruction to “stick to my knitting” and just let the piece do the talking – let the buffalo speak for themselves.

Yet to name it of course, but watch this space…

Georgie2019-07-29T01:17:07-04:00January 5th, 2016|Cape Buffalo, Large, News|

Red Stag at the Deer Path Inn

I spent a good chunk of 2015 sculpting a life-size red stag and an accompanying bust. The stag now has pride of place in the Deer Path Inn garden and the bust hangs in the English Room. A visit is highly recommended – a stunning setting, excellent cuisine and top-level service. Many thanks to the team at the Inn for their support and enthusiasm for the project and none of this would have been possible without Cal and Rane Paulson from Billings Bronze in Montana for coming down to North Carolina and making the mould, the casting and then assistance with the final installation at the Inn.

Georgie2019-07-24T17:32:38-04:00January 4th, 2016|Commission, Large, News|