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The last thing that is done to the piece is to give the
metal some color. That process is called giving it a patina.
Natural color of bronze is gold. The most common patinas
are warm dark brown or golden brown. There are many different
colors and textures to choose from though to add interest
to the finished piece. To achieve a patina a torch warms
the metal while chemicals are added until the artist is
pleased with the results. A coating of wax or lacquer is
added as a final protection over the patina.
Patina
Note:
I got creative with the piece I used as my main photo example
for this foundry tour. I added a paper collage to the back
of the larger piece. This piece was dedicated to the tragedy
of September 11 and it felt right adding lots of written
information to the back. Most of us were glued to the news
after the attacks on America for weeks. This was a mixed-
medium piece. The larger back piece was poured in aluminum.
The hand was poured in bronze and the figures that are on
the hand were done in polymer clay. A detailed story of
the meaning of the piece can be found here.
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