Fine bronze figures to be a showpiece
SHE is a city-based physiotherapist with a love of sculpture and this month Mela Cooke will bring her bronze forms over the range for the 2013 Art in the Woolshed exhibition.
The Brisbane artist juggles work with her creative side to produce detailed figures ranging from people to whimsical animals.
She is always keen to explain to the unfamiliar how the process starts.
Creating a three dimensional forms begins with a block of clay.
The health professional likes to think of her art as mirroring her work - with attention to balance and fluidness.
Once finished, the clay figure is coated in a one to two centimetres layer of silicone.
This allows the reproduction of fine details," she explained.
From silicone to plaster of Paris, a mould is created and filled with hot wax.
"The mould is then dismantled and the three dimensional hollow wax figure is sent to the bronze foundry where, through a further skilled process, the finished work in bronze is revealed," Ms Cooke said.
On June 8, she will showcase her trademark human figures, along with a range of dogs, cats and horses designed to capture the imagination of visitors to the exhibition at Bendee Woolshed, near Stanthorpe.
