Artworks Foundry - Peter Voulkos

Voulkos' initial involvement with Artworks Foundry began in 1986 when he elected to cast some of his work originally created in clay into the bronze medium at the Foundry located in Berkeley, California. Two of Voulkos' ceramic stacks, pictured above, are in the process of having molds taken from them. The one in front has a section of the “mother” mold removed, revealing the inner rubber mold. Voulkos had molds taken from a range of his ceramic works including eight different plates, three “ice buckets” and six “stacks”. This series of casts comprise the bronze editions; a specific number are cast from each object. A selection of some of the finished works appears below.

Artworks Foundry founder Piero Mussi, left, and Peter Voulkos at the Foundry discussing bronze patination for Voulkos's stacks.
Photo: Sam Jornlin.

SIRIUS
In 1989, Peter Voulkos received a commission to build a large bronze sculpture. He turned to Artworks Foundry to fabricate, cast, assemble and patinate the bronze based on his maquette. The sculpture, called Sirius, was created from large flat sheets of bronze cut and welded into rectangular forms; prefabricated
bronze pipes; and pipe elbows and ovoid shapes from which molds were taken and bronze casts made.

Weighing over an aggregate of approximately 5 tons, these disparate forms were assembled and balanced with slings suspended from over-head hoists, welded and bolted together. After an application of a black patina and wax, the Foundry undertook the installation of the sculpture at its site specific location. At 47 feet in length and 18 feet in height, building Sirius was a monumental task. One of the largest of Voulkos's bronzes, it was completed in 1992 and is currently installed in the City of Dublin, California. At right, the foundry crew welds prefabricated pipe to the cast curvilinear elbows.

Fabricated rectangular boxes are configured into a cross form on the left. The photo below shows the relationship of the ovoid “dome” shaped sections to each other; to the pipe temporarily supported by slings and to the box forms below and behind them during the assembly phase.

Photos right & above: Sam Jornlin.
Photo top: Joe Schopplein.

Untitled Stack, 1981, bronze, S3-1/7, 36" H x 18" dia, CR465-B. Edition of seven +AP’s. Photo: Joe Schopplein.	Untitled Stack, 1994, bronze, S4-Proof, 40" H x 27" x 28-1/2", CR466-B. Edition of nine +AP’s. Photo: Joe Schopplein.
Untitled Stack, 1994, bronze, S5-AP1, 42-1/2" H x 28" x 26", CR467-B. Edition of nine +AP’s. Photo: Joe Schopplein.	Untitled Stack, 1995, bronze, S6-AP1, 42-1/4" H x 30-1/2" x 25", CR468-B. Edition of nine +AP’s. Photo: Joe Schopplein.

Untitled Ice Bucket, 1986, bronze, IB2-1/5, 13-3/4" H x 20-3/4" dia., CR454-B. Edition of five +AP’s. Photo: Sid Levine.	Untitled Ice Bucket, 1986, bronze, IB3-Proof, 14-5/8" H x 18-14" dia., CR455-B. Edition of five +AP’s. Photo: Sid Levine.

Peter Voulkos
Catalogue Available

In September of 1999, Artworks Foundry hosted an exhibition of Peter Voulkos' bronze sculpture. The event created the perfect opportunity to develop a catalogue that chronicles Peter Voulkos' relationship with Artworks Foundry as well his 40-year history with the lost wax casting process.

This beautiful 32 page catalogue presents the man and his work: photos of Peter working in his foundry creating masterpieces such as Miss Nitro and the fabrication of the forty seven foot long Sirius at Artworks Foundry. In addition, the photography of Schopplein Studios captures the ceramic like richness of the work and the warm, rich patinas found on Voulkos' stacks, ice buckets and plates.

The Catalogue is available for $15, which includes shipping. To order, simply mail a check to Artworks Foundry Gallery at Artworks Foundry, 729 Heinz Avenue #10, Berkeley, CA 94710. Your catalogue will arrive by mail within a week. More of Peter's work can be viewed by clicking here.