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Heavy Metal

Pouring Heat: The writer/artist (le t! and scul"tor SeanMona#han "our $ronze into cera%ic %olds&

'ronze tools led early hu%anstoward civilization& Throu#h art $ronze continues to de ine %odernculture

'y )ohn *ewell+hoto#ra"hs $y ,eor#e Sa--estad

IT .AS A 0I,HTH1,2A30 sho" teacherwho introduced %e to lost1wax $ronze castin#

$ac- in the days $e ore arts "ro#ra%s were#utted ro% the "u$lic school curricula& Ire%e%$er the $eauti ul little horses a$out thesize o your hand he %ade in wax& He showed%e how to encase the i#ures in "laster %elt outthe wax and then "our in the %olten $ronze&.hen he $ro-e away the "laster to reveal the

$ronze horses inside it was li-e a %a#ic tric-&

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My own irst oray in his class was a tiny $ronzeincense $urner& (Hey it was the 789s :;

There is a "ri%itiveness to $ronze castin# athrow$ac- to an early era o hu%an civilizationthat de ies %odern conveniences& The "rocess ocreatin# $ronze is the antithesis o the ?cleanroo%? so necessary to the "roduction oco%"uter chi"s& *ou #et to "lay with a varietyo tools and %aterials and @ust "lain #et dirty&There is so%ethin# ro%antic a$out #ettin# dirtyin the "roduction o art&

I also love the tactile uality o the %etal thecool s%oothness versatility and stren#th o the%aterial that allows you to %a-e al%ost

anythin# with it& The sur ace o a $ronze i#ureis as close to hu%an s-in as the art #ods have yetdevised&

Alas $ronze scul"ture did not $eco%e %y li e7swor-& Sean Mona#han was luc-ier&

Mona#han says he discovered $ronze when ariend encoura#ed hi% to ta-e a scul"ture classin B D9 at >CSC& He was an undeclared %a@or

at the ti%e $ut he says he realized ri#ht awaythat he had ound his callin#&

?I didn7t want to $e an art %a@or11it see%ed soi%"ractical ? Mona#han says& ?'ut I -newscul"ture was where I had $een #oin# all alon#&?

Mona#han #raduated with a scul"ture de#ree inB DE $ut it wasn7t until B F that he and riend2o#er ;na"" were a$le to start 'ronze .or-s&Gor the irst year or so Mona#han had to

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continue doin# ho%ere%odelin# @o$s on theside to su""ort hi%sel &

=ocated on Coral Streetin Santa Cruz 'ronze.or-s is the onlyinde"endent co%%ercial

$ronze oundry in thecounty and Mona#han isa $usy #uy&

?I7% usually wor-in# ora$out F "eo"le at ati%e ? Mona#han saysand "ourin# a$out B99

"ounds o $ronze a wee-and F9 to E9 "ieces a%onth& 3e%and hasallowed hi% to "ic- andchoose clients and hesays he "re ers "ro@ects

on which he can have?so%e creative in"ut&? Italso allows hi% to %a-eti%e or his own wor-and to inish his %aster7sin ine arts de#ree at San)ose State >niversity&

.hat attracted hi% to $ronze