Now that the clay model has been finished the next stage of the process is the creation of the mould ready for casting. This is a slow process as the clay model has first to be covered which liquid rubber in repeated light coats which take time to dry. Once sufficient coats have been made to create a flexible mould, the next step is to surround these with a more rigid material which will have sufficient strength to hold the bronze for casting.
The work is messy and not particularly pleasant; you can see Rodney Munday looks like someone from Ghostbusters in his hazard suit.
One photo shows St John with what appears to be a halo. This is where the seams of the mould have to go. The seaming is chosen in consultation with the foundry so that the finished mould can be transported prior to casting and the end point is a statue with structural integrity.
Fabrication of the Virgin and Child.
Lockdown brought benefits to Project Black Jack. Rodney Munday had planned to return to France (where his wife and son are living) after he had completed the clay statue and the moulding of St John. However, rising levels of coronavirus created restrictions and finally lockdown meaning that he was trapped in England. So rather than waiting until March to start work on the Virgin and Child, with the result that he finished by early March and the statues were then shipped off to the foundry for casting.
There are photos of the process of creating the clay model of the Virgin and Child on the Gallery, but here is a link to a short time lapse photo of the process, with a twist. The clay layers on the Virgin’s skirt begin to slip, unnoticed by Rodney, so that at one stage she appears in a state of déshabillé. However, it’s all quickly rectified and she is returned to a more modest form of attire.
The photos show pit pipework which establishes the dimensions for the two statues. Just behind is a slim metal structure. This is a template made to the dimensions of the niche so that Rodney can be certain that the statue will fit into the available space, when it is due to be installed in August.
The pipework is then split into two sections, one for the Virgin and one for the Child, which are worked on separately. The first step is to create a chicken wire “form” which is then gradually covered in slabs of clay as a base layer.
Work on the Virgin continues, as the clay is added to create the form.
Rodney has been working on the Child. In order that the proportions look “right” from ground level, the Child’s head has had to be enlarged. He has been created as a separate figure, and in the photographs taken looking upwards, it is striking how much the pose presupposes the Crucifixion.
Work continues on the Virgin and Child, with both elements of the statue now coming together. One of the photos shows the sculptor lying on the floor, just so that he can see how the statues appear when looking upwards.
