Tammy Bality, sculptor of animals in traditional and contemporary styles - Processes

Why I work in different media

Once I have an idea for a sculpture, I then decide what medium would work best for what I’m trying to portray. The substances I use – bronze, lead crystal, cast aluminum, and Raku – each bring a different weight, feel, and look to the sculpture. For example, when I cast a piece in bronze versus lead crystal, it gives an entirely different “vibe” to the impact of the work.

Bronze

A classic choice with a long lifespan

The obvious properties of bronze are the advantages of strength and longevity. Bronze weathers well as long as it’s protected with wax and will withstand freezing temperatures and hail (unlike crystal or ceramic).

Bronze has been used for fine sculpture since the days of antiquity. As such, it is recognized and valued by collectors as enduring art.

In terms of construction, bronze pieces can be off balance or have small pieces protruding safely whereas with glass and ceramic, protruding thin pieces are an invitation for breakage. With a bronze, you can make the piece as large as can be imagined and use a steel armature for support.

Cast Lead Crystal

Although people have worked with lead crystal since antiquity, today it is an uncommon medium for artists to use. Even the leader in glass art, Lalique, uses a more mass produced method than I employ.

Transmitting light and color

Cast lead crystal glass is an inspiring medium. Nothing can match the ability of glass to transmit light and thus bring attention, dimension, and excitement to a sculptural piece. When I found this medium and applied it to my work, it was like being a painter and finding a whole new palette of colors with which to work – very exciting!

Cast Recycled Aluminum

This medium choice allows me to re-use already mined metal and do something positive for our planet—while at the same time, create sculpture that is both is structurally strong and very light. This means that you can move your aluminum sculpture around your home or garden with ease.

Aluminum sculpture can be customized with a host of different patina colors and is completely safe out doors.

All of my aluminum work is hand cast in Loveland, Colorado.

Fired Clay Raku

Raku keeps me grounded and energized at the same time

I believe the reason I never have creative “blocks” is because of my ability to go back and forth between mediums.

Raku and bronze have different attributes, but for me, raku is a re-energizer.

Working on a detailed representational piece in bronze (or lead crystal) is a long, analytical process and it’s very analytical. It’s a lot of “left brain” work in checking proportions and anatomy and then there is the whole planning around a time line for making a piece in bronze or crystal from start to completion—which takes about six months. It is a rewarding process, but a long one.

For me, that is where Raku breathes new life into my energy levels and my creativity. I can be freer to experiment with ideas.

Like a 3D sketch pad

Many sculptors create sketches of their ideas on paper before they start working. I prefer to work my ideas out in clay instead. Raku is a water-based clay, so by nature it is forced to be a faster method of sculpting, which means for me, it’s like a sketch pad, only in 3D.

The Raku process is also freeing, because it is so spontaneous. You don’t have much control…results can differ wildly even if you repeat what you did before.

There is a saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. The person who said that, has never Raku fired, because you will get a different result no matter how exact you repeat what you did before!

That is part of the beauty of it, you can’t decide exactly what color goes where and now it will look.

See what the fire gives you

I love working in Raku because of primal nature of it, pulling it from the kiln, letting it catch on fire, having smoke fill the air while you wait for it to cool a bit and then pulling it from the container and smoke to see the result. It’s exciting to see what the fire gives you.

Sometimes it’s a heartbreaker too, pieces can break. I recently pulled a very large horse head from the kiln (with long tongs, since it’s at 1800 degrees!) and tipped it on the container I was putting it in and it fell from my tongs breaking into pieces.

I’ve learned that you can’t cry over broken Raku! It’s part of the process and such a departure from working in oil based clay, armatures, molds and the whole foundry process used to create a bronze. It’s is much more “right brained” to me and I think being able to transition back and forth is what keeps me balanced, and loving what I do. It also has a look that cannot be repeated with paint or patina. It really is a gift of the elements: earth, fire, air and water together create a Raku piece.

Please see my Available Work page to see my sculpture in these different media.