Name: Pat Cochran
Age: 57
Background: Manager and sculpture finisher at Montoya Studios,
West Palm Beach; art teacher in St. Lucie County schools; owner
of Shadetree Studio, a fine arts foundry, since 1993.
Education: Southeast Missouri University - B.S. in Art, B.S. in
Art Education
Media: Bronze, wood, steel, resin
Works in: Studio hard by the railroad track on Old Dixie Highway
in St. Lucie Village.
Describe your work : “My new pieces, which include globes of
the earth in each one, have an environmental message with, I
hope, a humorous slant. I also am doing some larger kinetic sculptures,
which I consider environmental, since I am relying on nature
to make them operate.”
Describe the casting process: “A mold is made from the artist's
original work. From that mold a wax image is made in the lostwax
method of casting. Wax runners (sprues) are attached in
strategic places and the wax image is dipped in a vat of colloidal
silica solution to form a ceramic shell, sufficiently thick to handle
the molten bronze. The mold is heated to allow the wax to melt
and escape, then placed in a 1,600-degree furnace to burn out any
carbons inside. At the same time, the bronze is melted in a separate
furnace. The hot mold is buried in sand, for safety and to preserve
the piece if the mold breaks, and the bronze poured. When
the bronze has cooled, the ceramic shell is broken off and the
piece is cleaned up by sandblasting and, if necessary, welding. The
final step is the application of a chemical patina to achieve the
desired finish.”
ARTISTIC VISIONS
Recent shows: Vero Beach Museum of Art; Image Gallery in
Melbourne; and Zenith Gallery in Washington, D.C. Two
sculptures are on display as part of Art in Public Places in
Fort Lauderdale.
Collections where your work appears: Vero Beach Museum; Art in
Public Places Fort Lauderdale; Tradition Field, Port St. Lucie;
St. Lucie Marine Center in Fort Pierce; Smithsonian Marine Station;
Collection of Paul and Nancy Morgan; Southeast Missouri
University.
Honors: First place in sculpture – Four County Juried Show, A.E.
Backus Gallery; Best in Show – Reflections, in Memory of 9-11,
A.E. Backus Gallery; chosen to design and manufacture life-size
manatees for joint project between the Manatee Observation and
Education Center and the City of Fort Pierce.
What artists have inspired you and how: “When I was in college I
was really influenced by the large wood sculptures of Henry
Moore. My dad was a lumberjack and I spent most of my childhood
working at his mill so it just felt natural to start carving it.
Luis Montoya. I worked with him in his bronze foundry for three
years and it changed the way I approached art. Louise Nevelson's
work … influenced me when I was younger. Another sculptor who
influenced my bronze pieces was Arnaldo Pomadoro. My goal is
to create works that are immediately recognized as mine.”
Favorite subjects and why: “My favorite subject now is the environment.
It's not so much a message of doom but just to mirror my
concerns about our home. That is why I am using globes in this
new series and kinetic sculptures for some of the larger
outdoor pieces.”
Web site: www.PatCochran.com
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/www.PatCochran.com