About Arden

Arden Witherwax draws inspiration for his sculptures from his natural surroundings. When creating a hand hammered piece of sculpture he spends many hours, days, and – yes, weeks – cutting, forming, and assembling each piece by hand. Very rarely does he use power tools. These works can never be duplicated, not even by Mr. Witherwax. Each piece is created solely by him and to his own high standards.

As for the cast bronze pieces, they are always outstanding due to the extensive detail incorporated at each step in the lengthy lost wax process. Mr. Witherwax finishes most of the bronze pieces himself. This fact alone dictates that each contains the artist’s eye. Nothing is ever considered to be good enough.

Witherwax is fortunate in that he does not need to make sculpture, other than his inner desire to see a specific piece exist. He makes what he wants, the way he wants. This ease of creation is always evident in the quiet elegance seen in each piece.

About Bronze

For millennia, bronze has been the metal of choice for artists wishing to have their works executed in the gold standard of metals. Bronze is a mixture of metals, 85% to 95% of which is the first metal used by mankind, copper. The copper is mixed with other elements such as silicon and manganese to create a mixture which is particularly well suited for the casting of fine works of art. The casting process has been refined, but the basics have been the same for thousands of years.

The finest works of art are produced by a process called the lost wax process. This process is labor intensive and requires a workforce with a variety of skills. In short, the original, created by the artist, is encased by a mold. The type of mold material is dictated by the piece to be cast. This mold will capture all of the minute detail of the original. The mold is then taken apart and warm wax is painted on the inside of the mold. When the wax has cooled and has been removed from the mold, there will be a wax reproduction exactly like the original.

Depending on the size of the sculpture there might be many pieces, some of which will have to be assembled. When this is done and all of the seams have been reworked, gates or pathways for the molten bronze to enter the main piece will be attached. Next, the wax reproduction with its gates is encased in another mold, often called a shell. In time, the shell containing the wax will be inverted in an oven and the wax will run out. Ah, lost wax. Most of the wax is recovered to be used again. The mold is then inverted once again and filled with molten bronze, approx. 2000 degrees F.

After the bronze has cooled, the shell in broken off and the gates are removed. The piece is then assembled and if necessary, holes are filled, seams are ground off and all missing details are replaced. The latter is called chasing. The piece is then carefully inspected for imperfections. If all is well the piece then receives a color of the artist's choice – a patina.

Though permanent finishes are available, most often the finished work will receive a coating of a high quality wax. The wax coating will last for about a year outside. Inside, well, that depends on how irresistible the piece is found to be.

Sculptures by Mr. Witherwax form part of numerous private collections across the United States and in Europe.