These pieces were the start of my adventures with CAD/CAM. When I began to design on the computer (the first one was Ears), I first made 3D-printed Z Corporation cornstarch models, which can be used like wax in the lost-wax casting process.
Most of the pieces here are bronzes made from these starch models, cast in the traditional way by a great foundry in Rhode Island. (There are a couple of exceptions, one electroformed and one silver piece.)
This way of working produced beautiful objects, but it was difficult, costly, and labor-intensive. there was a lot of hand finishing and polishing, and many lost castings where the burnout or the pour failed. All this meant that the sculptures had to be very expensive.
When it became possible to do 3D printing directly in metal, I was very happy that the designs could be produced more reliably. The change freed me from the limits of casting, and I wanted my work to be more available and affordable. But these pieces were the first time I had been able to make my designs as I'd always visualized them, so although I'm no longer working this way, these pieces remain special to me.
Is there a design here that you'd like to see updated?
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Currently available sculpture is here.
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