Matthew Placzek’s bronze sculptures offer a visual experience of form, movement and expressiveness. His intricate detailing of facial expressions breathes life into his creations, whether human or wildlife.  His ability to illustrate movement – such as a street performer juggling balls, children running, kites blowing in the breeze, or whales breaching through water – is masterful.

Many of Matthew’s sculptures have become showpieces at universities, medical centers, military bases, and corporate campuses throughout the country. Some have become historical landmarks or permanent tributes to important historical figures.

From conception to installation, many of these monumental bronze sculptures take months to create. Matthew uses the 2,000-year-old “lost wax” bronze-casting process to create his artwork. This multi-stage process calls for painstaking precision.

Each sculpture starts out as a figure molded out of oil-based clay — a pliant material which offers ample opportunities to make alterations. (To give some perspective regarding the amount of clay needed for a project, a seven-foot figure calls for around 50 pounds of clay.) For large monumental sculptures that need additional base support — for example, human figures in motion — a skeletal base, called an armature, is fashioned out of steel and foam, with the clay applied on top.

To learn more about the additional stages in this fascinating process, please visit our blogpost at placzekstudios.com/art-bronze-casting.