[ Arts Index | Metro Santa Cruz | MetroActive Central | Archives ]

Heavy Metal

Pouring Heat: The writer/artist (le t! and scul"tor Sean Mona#han "our $ronze into cera%ic %olds&

'ronze tools led early hu%ans toward civilization& Throu#h art( $ronze continues to de ine %odern culture 'y )ohn *ewell +hoto#ra"hs $y ,eor#e Sa--estad
IT .AS A/ 0I,HTH1,2A30 sho" teacher who introduced %e to lost1wax $ronze castin#( $ac- in the days $e ore arts "ro#ra%s were #utted ro% the "u$lic school curricula& I re%e%$er the $eauti ul little horses( a$out the size o your hand( he %ade in wax& He showed %e how to encase the i#ures in "laster( %elt out the wax and then "our in the %olten $ronze& .hen he $ro-e away the "laster to reveal the $ronze horses inside( it was li-e a %a#ic tric-& 4oil56

My own irst oray in his class was a tiny $ronze incense $urner& (Hey( it was the 789s( :;<! =ater( I would try %ore co%"licated or%s and ideas& .hen I #ot to >CSC and discovered the scul"ture acilities( I thou#ht I7d died and #one to heaven11even thou#h the castin# area then was nothin# %ore than a sand "it in the loor o a lea-y $arn near the %ain entrance to ca%"us& There is a "ri%itiveness to $ronze castin#( a throw$ac- to an early era o hu%an civilization that de ies %odern conveniences& The "rocess o creatin# $ronze is the antithesis o the ?clean roo%? so necessary to the "roduction o co%"uter chi"s& *ou #et to "lay with a variety o tools and %aterials and @ust "lain #et dirty& There is so%ethin# ro%antic a$out #ettin# dirty in the "roduction o art& I also love the tactile Auality o the %etal( the cool s%oothness( versatility and stren#th o the %aterial that allows you to %a-e al%ost anythin# with it& The sur ace o a $ronze i#ure is as close to hu%an s-in as the art #ods have yet devised& Alas( $ronze scul"ture did not $eco%e %y li e7s wor-& Sean Mona#han was luc-ier& Mona#han says he discovered $ronze when a riend encoura#ed hi% to ta-e a scul"ture class in BCD9 at >CSC& He was an undeclared %a@or at the ti%e( $ut he says he realized ri#ht away that he had ound his callin#& ?I didn7t want to $e an art %a@or11it see%ed so i%"ractical(? Mona#han says& ?'ut I -new scul"ture was where I had $een #oin# all alon#&? Mona#han #raduated with a scul"ture de#ree in BCDE( $ut it wasn7t until BCCF that he and riend 2o#er ;na"" were a$le to start 'ronze .or-s& Gor the irst year or so Mona#han had to

continue doin# ho%e re%odelin# @o$s on the side to su""ort hi%sel & =ocated on Coral Street in Santa Cruz( 'ronze .or-s is the only inde"endent co%%ercial $ronze oundry in the county( and Mona#han is a $usy #uy& ?I7% usually wor-in# or a$out FH "eo"le at a ti%e(? Mona#han says( and "ourin# a$out B99 "ounds o $ronze a weeand F9 to E9 "ieces a %onth& 3e%and has allowed hi% to "ic- and choose clients( and he says he "re ers "ro@ects on which he can have ?so%e creative in"ut&? It also allows hi% to %a-e ti%e or his own worand to inish his %aster7s in ine arts de#ree at San )ose State >niversity& .hat attracted hi% to $ronze< ?'ronze is also a very unctional %aterial& It7s very "rocess oriented and reAuires so%e technical "rowess& I li-e the variety o tools and o"tions(? Mona#han says& ?Also(? he adds( ?it lasts

orever( and you can %a-e @ust a$out anythin#& .ith stone( you can7t do lon# s-inny tendrils& 'ronze can ta-e a lot o di erent colors and or%s& The %etal has a luster and is al%ost translucent& It can a""ear li#ht or heavyI it can $e "olished& .ith "atinas [che%ical coloration]( you can #et a rich sur ace&? )ust don7t as- hi% to $ronze those $a$y shoes11 that7s a "latin# "rocess $etter done throu#h a tro"hy sho"& .hen I #o to a %useu%( I %a-e a $eeline or the $ronze exhi$its( and every ew years or so I %a-e so%ethin# in wax and have it cast in $ronze& Mona#han and the 'ronze .or-s #ave %e the o""ortunity to create a s%all "iece( a -ind o co ee1ta$le sur er( and to ollow the "roduction to co%"letion in this "hoto essay&

How To
H020 A20 S040/ $asic ste"s in the castin# o $ronze& 0xtra ste"s are added i a "er%anent %old o "olyurethane or silicone ru$$er is %ade o the scul"ture so that it can $e re"roduced& Althou#h the %old1%a-in# "rocess has $een s-i""ed here( Mona#han says he %a-es ?lots o %olds&? A$ove( Sean Mona#han holds the ori#inal scul"ture( %ade o a %allea$le $rown %aterial called %icrocrystalline wax&