Everett Cox - Foundry

In 2008 work began, literally from the ground up, on the space I occupy as my studio at Lowe Mill. The Railroad warehouse #8 was rotten and collapsing so it was bulldozed and rebuilt from the ground up. I was granted occupancy in 2009 and since that time have been working in and on that studio. In a sense, the studio itself is a work in progress.

Among other things, I sculpt figures in clay and cast them in bronze. Casting a sculpture in bronze or other metals is a way to make permanent a sculpture conceived in clay. To do so, a mold is made of the clay original from which a wax copy is made. That wax is prepared and then incased or invested inside a refractory mold and then put in a kiln and baked at 1000* or more to burn away any trace of the wax. That leaves a cavity where the metal is poured. It's a hot, nasty job but if you're fascinated with an intense fire, nothing beats casting metal.

Regarding my figure sculptures, the raison d'etre are many. The contrast between the feminine form and the brutal, masculine process involved in getting the clay to the bronze is everpresent to me, though that is lost on anyone not familiar with the casting process. There is the design aspect; after all, figure sculpture is sculpture and still has to work as sculpture. There's referrential and art historical aspects involved in my work as well.