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Lawrence Braun, Sculptor
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A Breif Biography:
Sculptor, Larry Braun has focused most of his artwork on the world of motor sports over the past twenty-five years. A charter member of the Automotive Fine Arts Society, he is one of the most recognized artists portraying the history and form of sporting automobiles in art metal. In his bronze and stainless steel sculpture, he combines enthusiasm for significant, fast, beautiful cars with sensitivity for the human figure and his interest in rendering man's intimate relationship with technology and sport. Classically trained, his style is best described as a blending of realism and impressionism, combining precise mechanical elements with fluid and dynamic organic forms.
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Lost Wax Casting
A Short Description of the Process
The original sculpture is developed in clay or modeling wax. Sometimes, the mechanical elements like car bodies, wheel rims, and engine parts are carved or machined in wood or metal so that they will stand up to the great amount of handling required during the work on the clay original. When the original clay is finished a flexible rubber mold is made in preparation for making multiple copies using the lost wax bronze casting process. Lost wax bronze casting is a very old technique in which a wax pattern is enveloped in a ceramic mold material. When the ceramic mold is dry, it is heated to a very high temperature. This "firing" hardens the ceramic and melts out the wax leaving a hollow impression where the wax pattern once was. Into this hollow mold, molten bronze is poured to fill the impression while the ceramic is still red-hot. Stainless steel can be cast by the same method, but it is poured at a much higher temperature than bronze. When the metal is cool, the ceramic mold is smashed off exposing the bronze, which is an exact duplicate of the original pattern. Of course, the raw bronze requires a considerable amount of hand finishing before it is a fine art piece ready for exhibition. The final finish or "patina" is achieved by the applying specific chemical formulas to aid the natural aging process. The surface is then sealed with lacquer and wax. The patina will continue gain richness with age and should be maintained by occasionally dusting with a dry cotton rag and applying a good paste wax with a stiff paintbrush once or twice a year. Never use a liquid or spray wax on fine art bronze sculpture.
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