Southlake Texas
Wood Sculpture
These works are produced by using hand tools exclusively. Most begin as a solid block of white cedar that is worked down to the desired shape with a razor sharp hatchet and utilizing spokeshave techniques that Bill learned as a young lad in the Upper Bay town of Charlestown Maryland. Often these carvings never get touched by sandpaper. Many of Bill’s waterfowl pieces are known to be in styles from yesteryear and are finished with techniques that make them appear to be authentically aged. Some are intentionally primitive in nature and include tool marks and paint that is cracked and chipping away.
Bronze Sculpture
The production of a bronze usually starts with a full scale clay model. To cast the clay model as a bronze, a mold is made from the model, and the inside of this negative mold is brushed with melted wax to the desired thickness of the final bronze. Usually the original clay sculpture is destroyed in the process. Next, the prepared wax shell is completely covered in layers of heat-resistant plaster, and the whole is inverted and placed in an oven. During heating, the plaster dries and the wax runs out through prepared drains. This is where the term “lost wax process” comes from. The plaster mold is then packed in sand, and molten bronze is poured into the mold filling the space left by the wax. When cool, the outer plaster and core are removed, and the bronze may receive finishing touches and it’s final color (patina) is added in a heat treated chemical application.