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who are we 

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It started with a strawberry

These four chapters in my life tell the story of how I went from casting bronze strawberries to casting a two-ton bronze armillary sphere sundial for the herb garden at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens. and how botanical bronze art surfaced in my life.

Chapter 1-Art and the Strawberry

Chapter 2-Bronze Walnut: Casting Connection through Art 

Chapter 3-From lemons to Bronze: The art of Botanical Transmutation

Chapter 4-Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney

The Evolution of Botanical Cast Bronzes: Art of the strawberry In the mid-1990s, a pivotal moment in my artistic journey unfolded. A young artist commissioned me to cast a series of bronze sculptures for an upcoming solo exhibition. She brought her wax or clay models to the foundry, as was the norm, expecting them to be transformed into bronze art pieces. This particular project required us to cast a large number of strawberries in bronze. Initially, my approach was conventional—I used an actual strawberry to create a silicone rubber mold. This mold would then be used to produce a wax pattern, an essential step in the lost wax casting process. However, I underestimated the complexity of casting strawberries. Fun fact: Strawberries are unique because their seeds are on the outside, a trait shared by few other fruits, like cashews. Unfortunately, extracting flawless wax patterns from the mold proved troublesome. Air bubbles consistently formed in the seed cavities, threatening the project's success. As the exhibition deadline approached, the challenge loomed larger. In a moment of inspiration, I devised a novel solution. I skewered fresh strawberries directly onto the wax sprue using wooden toothpicks, bypassing the wax strawberry stage altogether. These real strawberries became part of the ceramic shell mold. When the shell was fired to red hot, the wax sprue melted away, and the strawberries were incinerated, leaving a clean cavity. The result was exceptional. The casting captured every minute detail and preserved every seed without a seam line, thanks to the absence of a silicone mold. Our studio had resolved the artist's dilemma and, in doing so, I had conducted my first organic casting using a natural botanical specimen. This breakthrough opened my eyes to new possibilities and a fresh perspective on bronze casting. Since that pivotal project, I've been inspired to explore the natural world for unique seeds, nuts, pods, and fruits to cast in bronze. The potential to transform these organic elements into timeless works of art excites me greatly.

The Bronze Walnut: Casting Connection through Art Following the success with the strawberries, I turned my attention to a denser organic specimen: walnuts. Walnuts quickly became a favorite subject of mine, and I explored casting them both solid and hollow. Throughout my experimentation, I cast about 100 walnuts in halves, even crafting removable kernels. Despite this, I never kept a single one for myself—each was claimed almost as soon as it was completed. One memorable day, an elderly Jewish woman wandered into the art studio, which wasn’t unusual in Melbourne’s vibrant St. Kilda neighborhood. Our art foundry was a captivating place, often featuring life-sized bronzes that naturally attracted passersby. The woman picked up a bronze walnut from the ground and held it tightly. Approaching her, I explained that this metal walnut was unique, transformed from a real nut whose organic material burned away to make room for molten bronze. "Oh, I must have it," she exclaimed, inquiring about the price. I smiled and replied, sharing that these pieces were typically expensive. To my surprise, she immediately reached for her wallet. I insisted, "No, please have it!" But she was adamant, "No, I will pay for it." Accustomed to the bartering culture in this Jewish neighborhood, I acknowledged, “You and that walnut found each other.” She relented, expressing gratitude as she lovingly held the bronze walnut. Years later, she returned with a friend to share how much the walnut meant to her. She described keeping it in her handbag, taking it everywhere she went. It served as a conversation starter over coffee with friends and a comforting companion on trips around Melbourne on the trams. Her story illustrated the profound connection a small piece of botanical bronze art could invoke in someone’s life. I was touched and mentally noted another reason to continue creating botanical bronzes.

From Lemons to Bronze: The Art of Botanical Transmutation Between 1990 and 1998, I had the opportunity to cast antique reproductions in bronze under the guidance of Graham Geddes in Melbourne. Geddes is one of the most renowned antique collectors and dealers in the world, making this an extraordinary experience. Working with authentic antiques to create reproductions allowed me to handle history itself, crafting pieces of enduring significance. On August 1, 2010, an entry marked a new chapter: we moved our art foundry from St Kilda, Melbourne, to a quaint country town two hours away, setting up in a repurposed railway station. This location had its charm, including an old lemon tree. Each time I passed by, I would pick and eat a lemon, drawn by a connection to the tree, despite the fruit's surprisingly mild sourness. One summer, inspired by this connection, I cast a dozen lemons in bronze, creating what we call "biomorphs." These bronze lemons, with their robust patina, sat impressively on a filing cabinet in the office. On my next trip to Melbourne, I eagerly took a few bronze lemons to show Graham Geddes. Confident he would appreciate them, I placed them prominently on his desk. However, when Geddes arrived, he wasn’t in the best of moods. “What are these?” he shouted, irked by their presence. Not wanting to provoke further, I quietly retrieved the lemons. Months later, during a visit to the foundry, Geddes noticed the bronze fruit bowl in the office. "What are these?" he exclaimed again, with a few choice words. Curiosity piqued, he demanded to know why he hadn’t seen them sooner. Smiling, I replied, “They are fantastic, are they not?” When he asked about the price, I responded with a figure—“one banana”—a playful term we used for one thousand dollars. Enthralled by the concept, he decided to take them, along with a request for more. That summer, Graham acquired about fifty of these botanical bronze lemons. He artfully displayed them across his antique shops, placing them atop grand tables and inside elegant glass bowls. Patrons, often the rich and famous, were intrigued, picking up the strange, weighty lemons. To their amazement, Graham explained the alchemical transformation from real lemon to bronze, emphasizing each piece's uniqueness. He often offered them as gifts, making the gesture feel immensely valuable—a clever marketing strategy. That summer revealed the profound impact and appeal of botanical bronze art within Melbourne's elite society. This experience reinforced the potential of biomorphic art, highlighting its fusion of nature and craftsmanship.

A Botanical Bronze Journey: From Sundial to Sold-Out Exhibition I had the honor of casting a monumental two-ton bronze armillary sphere sundial for Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden. Designed by Sundials Australia and Marion Westmacott, the sundial incorporated intricate bronze cast herbs as part of its design. Marion was responsible for the exquisite herb ring that became a central feature of the sundial. Located in the herb gardens of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney (RBGS), the sundial has gained acclaim as the garden’s most successful public sculpture. Visitors frequently pause to admire and interact with it, reflecting its impact and allure. While installing the sundial, I met then-Director Professor Carrick Chambers. Captivated by the botanical sculptures I crafted, he extended an invitation for me to hold a solo exhibition at the RBGS. The exhibition would feature botanicals sourced directly from the gardens, including banksia pods, gum nuts, wild figs, and a variety of seeds, pods, and fruits. The exhibition proved to be a tremendous success, with all artworks sold out on opening night. Collectors, both local and international, eagerly acquired the pieces, underscoring the universal appeal and fascination with botanical art. This event marked a pivotal fourth chapter in the evolution of my botanical bronze artworks, progressing from casting a single strawberry to achieving a sold-out exhibition at one of the world’s most prestigious venues for botanical art, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

Reviving Botanical Bronze Art During the Pandemic

Botanical bronze art re-emerged as a small backyard project during the pandemic, bringing new life to a passion I initially pursued years ago. Earlier in my career, I owned and operated a fine art bronze foundry for 20 years, but eventually shifted focus to work with fiber cement composite materials.

However, the global impact of the coronavirus on export manufacturing in Asia presented an opportunity to revisit and revitalize my work in casting botanical bronze sculptures.

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Creating our own vision 

OUR VISSION 

Our mission is to create evocative, scientifically accurate botanical art that honors our deep-rooted connections with the plant kingdom while communicating vital narratives through the ancient art of bronze casting, ensuring these stories are brought to the surface befor we loose it all 

OUR MISSION 

To inspire a deeper relationship with nature through the transformative power of botanical art, encouraging a dialogue between the beauty of the natural world and human creativity.

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Botanical Bronze Art

Organic casting : "organic casting" is a compelling term that encapsulates the unique process of botanical bronze art and resonates with the themes of nature, innovation, and artistic integrity. Incorporating this term into your lexicon could enhance your communication with your audience, reinforcing the fundamental connection between your art and the natural world. If you choose to adopt it, ensure that it is well-defined in your materials to clarify its meaning and significance in the context of your work.

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