COLLABORATION MAKES ART

Sculptor Michael Holmes looks on as Tim Parks works on Holmes' "Blue Horizon." Parks, Holmes and the nearby foundry Parks Bronze all collaborated in the 12-step lost-wax process. (Photos by Michelle Bloker).

By Gary Fletcher

Staff Writer

ENTERPRISE — "Blue Horizon,'' an 18-part sculpture by Michael Holmes, is bound for Key West, Fla.

The $45,000 bronze — reinforced with stainless steel to withstand hurricanes — will be used in an outdoor display.

Tim Parks of Enterprise helped bring the sculpture to life in metal form. He has been producing bronzes for Holmes for more than six years.

Artists work in clay. The way a piece of art becomes a bronze is a long road of collaboration. In the case of "Blue Horizon,'' it took two months at Parks' TW Bronze, which has a wax room, a mold room and a metal finishing room.

Parks, Holmes and the nearby foundry Parks Bronze, where Parks used to work, all collaborated in the 12-step lost-wax process.

It began with Parks making a rubber mold of the original clay sculpture. The mold was cut into sections, removed and put back together again before hot wax was layered inside the mold, which was reinforced on the outside with fiberglass.

The wax positives that came out of the molds — negatives — were cut into pieces and then sent to the Parks Bronze slurry room, where the wax was covered in a ceramic material in a temperature-controlled and humidity-controlled environment.

That ceramic mold was heated in an oven to about 1,500 degrees, melting the wax and leaving an empty ceramic mold.

The ceramic mold is then filled with molten bronze, heated to nearly 2,000 degrees. If there is too great a difference in temperature when the metal is poured, the mold can fracture and leak.

After cooling, the ceramic layer is chipped and blasted away to reveal the rough form of the finished bronze, which is hollow like a chocolate Easter bunny.

Then it goes back to Parks' shop where all the pieces are welded together and the seams ground smooth.

Then with air drills, polishers and other tools, the details that were too fine for molding are carved or tooled into the piece.

Only when the finished product is a perfect reproduction of the original sculpture is it taken back to the foundry for a patina — a chemical and heat coloring process.

Parks has sculpted one piece in collaboration with a late friend. However, his passion as an artisan is to make the sculptures come alive in metal form, whether bronze, silver or even gold.

Parks has the eye and the talent for it, and the knack of bringing others along in the trade. He has one full-time employee and one part-time. He built his shop more than seven years ago.

Business is good, but demanding. He recently put in a 26-hour shift with overhead welding and grinding to meet a deadline — which can involve getting pieces ready for art shows on time.

"You work night and day if you have to to be ready for the show," Parks said. "Our schedule is really crammed now. We're flooded with work."

Michelle Bloker contributed to this story.

Holmes uses symbolism, motion in his work

"Blue Horizon" was sculpted in 2002 by Michael Holmes, who makes his home in Eastern Washington. In that rural setting he follows his passion for the outdoors and the creative process through sculpture.

His appreciation of the grace, beauty and variety of wild birds is reflected in his work.

An avid music fan, he often uses visual representations of music to help convey his feelings. This fascination has inspired him to represent the creativity and mystique of fellow artists and musicians in some of his recent work.

Holmes uses symbolism, motion and beauty to produce the mood of each new sculpture.

His compositions try to capture those qualities of his subjects that overlap and intertwine human emotion and values. Peace, love, freedom and security are all issues he has addressed in his work.

Holmes holds a master's of fine arts degree from Central Washington University. He is also an art teacher.