The Sleeper

The Sleeper is a bronze paperweight that reinterprets slumber. I wanted to make a piece that interacted with its surroundings, a paperweight that, through its very form, made sense lying on a stack of paper. The figure is cloud-like and appears so comfortable in its sleeping position that it is melting into its surroundings.

3 x 1.75 x 0.5 in

Sleeper3.jpg

Process

To create this piece, I carved the form from castable wax. I then melted my wax to give the Sleeper the appearance of being so comfortable that it was melting into its surroundings. Through the process of investment or “lost wax” casting in bronze, the wax was replaced by metal. The piece was then sanded and polished. The Sleeper was finished with 1 micron (14,000 grit) polishing paper giving it a mirror finish.

Course

ME 298: Silversmithing and Design - March 2019

Processes

Wax Carving, Investment Casting

Materials

Ancient Bronze