Greg Todd Bronze Sculptor "Warren County War Memorial"

"Cover Story" Monument Builders News
May 2001, Volume 58, Number 5

figurative sculpture by Greg Todd bronze sculptor

figurative monumental sculpture by Greg Todd bronze sculptor

“Sculpture is a lot like drawing in clay” states award winning sculptor Greg Todd. “It’s really drawing but in three dimensions not two” he added during our conversation on the making of the Warren County War Memorial. Greg Todd knows a lot about sculpture, as well he should. Besides the impressive bronze of Captain Dunlap that crowns the Warren County memorial Todd has created unique bronze sculptures for a multitude of private and public clients including the United States Air Force Academy.
His involvement in the Warren County War memorial began when David Clark, the Chairman of the committee, contacted him. Greg readily agreed to the project and almost at once he was overwhelmed at the amount of help and assistance the committee provided.
“They were really incredible in terms of giving me so much to work with”, said Greg. The committee provided Greg with thorough research materials including documentary footage of the Iwo Jima battle, articles describing what Captain Dunlap had done, uniforms of the period and even the kind of personal items the captain would have had on him. "They were absolutely wonderful to work with", said Greg, adding "they were really able to give me a feel for what Iwo Jima and Captain Dunlap were like".
Once he felt well enough grounded in his subject Greg began the process of sculpting the monument. First, he worked up a thumbnail maquette, or model, only 2" tall. This was to get the flow and composition of the piece. When he was satisfied that the sculpture worked as a whole from all viewing angles he proceeded to the next step: a 10" tall version.
This size model worked well because it allowed Greg to develop more detail and it gave the committee something they could show people. "I really don't like to work with sketches"; Greg stated when I inquired into his methods. "You really don't get a 360 degree view with sketches", said Greg, adding "it's why I think sometimes we see sculptures that have one magnificent side and are only so-so on the others".
After completing the models Greg is ready to begin the final figure study; this step is essentially sculpting the actual size figure in the nude. "This step is essential to the realism of the finished piece", Greg said. "It's how you see what the muscles would be doing during particular movements".
For Greg the sculpting begins by carving foam into the desired shape. Next oil clay, which Greg makes himself, is added over the foam core of the sculpture. The clay is where the details of the sculpture come out. The clay is heated and layers are built up until Greg is satisfied with the result. Now it's time to begin turning the clay/foam sculpture into a bronze. The first step in that process is moldmaking. Building up layers of the material makes a latex silicon rubber mold over the clay. The latex captures every fine detail but is too flimsy to hold it's form and so a “mother mold" of fiberglass or plaster is built up over the latex.
At this point of the process it is time to divide the sculpture up into smaller pieces to facilitate the bronze process. The statue of Captain Dunlap was cut into nearly 25 separate pieces. After the dividing of the sculpture it is time for the foundry work to take place. Fedde Bronze Works of Denver, Colorado was given the job.
The lost wax bronzing process hasn't changed much since the time of the ancient Greeks. It is still a time consuming, labor intensive job that requires highly skilled craftsmen and artisans. An accurate step by step description of the process is beyond the scope of this article.
After the sculpture was bronzed and the pieces reassembled it was at last time for the final touch: applying the patina or colorants to the metal. In China sculptors used to bury bronze works in the ground to achieve desirable colorations. Today the process is more controlled with a variety of acids and pigments available. To apply the patina the sculpture was first heated to roughly 300 degrees and the chemicals were applied using airbrushes and conventional paintbrushes. The heating of the bronze allows the patinas to bond with the metal essentially becoming a part of the sculpture.
Greg Todd figures the whole process took about a year with the foundry work alone accounting for 3-4 months. "It's very time consuming, but I would love to do more of this kind of work" said Greg. Judging from the impressive reviews for his work on the Warren County War memorial we are sure he will be very much in demand.